nva 

OF-CAll 


MAGIC   OF   KINDNESS; 


WONDROUS  STOKY  OF  THE  GOOD  HUAN. 

BY 

THE  BROTHERS  MAYHEW, 

AUTHORS  OF  "THE  GOOD  GENIUS  THAT  TUENED  EVEKY  THING   INTO 
GOLD." 


ILLUSTRATED   BY 


©feorjje  ffiruffcaljanft  anfc  Itenng  jWeatiotos. 


"  There  is  goodness,  like  wild  honey,  hived  in  strange  nooks  and 
corners  of  the  earth." — DOUGLAS  JERBOLD. 


NEW   YORK: 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

82   CLIFF    STREET. 

1849. 


PREFACE, 


[HIS  book  is  more  a  matter  of  fact 
I  than  a  matter  of  fiction.  For,  strange 
to  say,  though  professing  to  be  a  fairy 
tale,  there  is  not  a  magic  change  in 
7  it  that  has  not  had  its  origin  in  the 
world  without  rather  than  in  the  imaginations  of 
the  Authors.  Indeed,  to  prevent  the  appearance 
of  romancing — in  this,  perhaps  one  of  the  most  won- 
derful romances  ever  written — chapter  and  verse 
have  been  given  for  every  wonder  in  it. 


vi  PREFACE. 

The  Authors  are  well  aware  how  imperfectly 
and  prosaically  the  subject — which  is  an  endless 
poem  in  itself — has  been  handled.  The  only  credit 
they  take  to  themselves  is  that  they  believe  they 
have  been  truthful — and  indeed,  with  this  view, 
they  have  often  preferred  the  language  of  those 
from  whom  they  have  gleaned  their  facts  to  their 
own.  And  here  they  wish  to  acknowledge  how 
much  they  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Mackay  for  his 
admirable  work  of"  POPULAR  DELUSIONS" — to  Dr. 
Conolly — the  Pinel  of  England — for  his  benevolent 
treatise  "  ON  THE  CONSTRUCTION  AND  GOVERNMENT 
OF  LUNATIC  ASYLUMS." — and  to  Mr.  Williams's 
wondrous  NARRATIVE  of  his  Christian  labors  in  the 
South  Sea  Islands.  The  description  they  have 
attempted  to  give  of  the  ravages  of  a  great  pesti- 
lence, has  been  borrowed  chiefly  from  De  Foe's 
"  HISTORY  OF  THE  PLAGUE,"  that  being  a  more 
picturesque — though  perhaps  less  literal — account 
than  those  of  Sydenham,  Pepys,  or  Hodges. 

Moreover,  the  Authors  claim  some  little  indul- 
gence as  well  for  the  omissions  as  for  the  commis- 
sions of  their  book,  on  account  of  the  difficulties 
they  have  had  to  encounter  in  weaving  into  a  story 


PREFACE.  vii 

— that  should  be  in  any  way  consistent  with  the 
principles  of  constructive  art — and  connecting  to- 
gether by  the  thread  of  human  emotions  the  origin- 
ally disjointed  incidents  of  the  work.  It  was  their 
wish  to  have  included  in  the  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS 
many  more  of  those  wonders  of  benevolence  that 
have  become  at  once  the  history  and  the  glory  of 
our  own  time.  The  miracles  worked  by  sympathy 
upon  criminals  have  been,  from  sheer  necessity,  left 
untouched,  so  that  the  magic  changes  wrought  by 
Captain  Maconochie,  Howard,  and  Mrs.  Fry  upon 
the  hearts  of  those  who  seemed  the  least  of  all  suscep- 
tible of  the  kindly  influence,  remain  for  others  to 
work  into  a  tale  of  almost  incredible  enchantment. 
The  quiet  influence  of  Kindness  among  families 
has  also  been  left  untouched — the  scheme  of  the 
present  book  only  admitting  of  the  more  striking 
and  less  homely  effects. 

The  scene  of  the  tale  has  been  laid  in  the  east,  so 
that  the  frequent  mention  of  names  sacred  among 
Englishmen,  might  be  avoided  in — what  perhaps 
some  might  still  look  upon  as — a  mere  story-book. 

The  Authors  likewise  wish  it  to  be  known  that 
the  present  work  was  conceived  long  before  they 


viii  PREFACE. 

had  seen  the  beautiful  little  book  entitled  "ILLUS- 
TRATIONS OF   THE  LAW  OF   KlNDNESS." 

Nor  is  the  creed  of  Kindness  a  creed  that  has 
been  taken  up  to  serve  the  purposes  of  the  day — 
one  of  the  Authors  having,  many  years  ago,  in  a 
work  entitled  "WHAT  TO  TEACH  AND  HOW  TO 
TEACH  IT,  so  that  the  child  may  become  a  wise  and 
good  man"  attempted  to  apply  the  principle  of 
Kindness  to  the  art  of  Education — and,  moreover, 
having,  some  time  after  that,  founded  and  origin- 
ally edited  the  periodical  entitled  "  |)tmcl)"  upon 
the  same  principle. 


THE 


OR,    THE    WONDROUS 


0tot}j  of  tl)e 


CHAPTER  THE  FIRST, 

N  the  days  of  enchantment  lived  Ul- 
philas,  the  King  of  Asulon. 

King  Ulphilas  was  a  mighty  king. 
Surrounding  nations  paid  him  tribute. 
Monarchs,  far  and  near,  did  him  hom- 
e.  But,  growing  tired  of  conquest, 
and  surfeited  with  glory,  and  feeling  old  age 
creeping  upon  him  while  he  was  yet  childless, 


10  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

he  laid  aside  his  sword,  and  proclaimed  peace  with 
all  his  neighbors. 

Then  from  among  the  fair  daughters  of  the 
nobles  of  Asulon  he  chose  the  fairest,  and  made 
her  his  Queen.  And,  when  he  first  entered  the 
apartment  of  his  bride,  he  scattered  over  her  a 
shower  of  large  pearls  from  a  tray  of  gold.  Then, 
lifting  the  vail  from  her  face,  he  laid  his  hand  on 
the  hair  of  her  forehead,  and  called  upon  Allah  to 
bless  their  union,  and  to  bestow  upon  him  offspring 
by  her,  and  to  bestow  upon  her  offspring  by  him. 

And  he  gave  a  great  Feast,  the  like  of  which 
had  never  been  seen  before,  and  men  of  all  degrees 
were  welcomed  to  it.  To  the  aged  and  helpless 
poor  he  distributed  numberless  pieces  of  gold  and 
silver,  in  Charity.  And  he  ordered  Prayers  to  be 
said,  praying  the  Prophet  to  beseech  Allah  to 
vouchsafe  unto  him  a  son,  who  should  be  worthy 
to  rule  over  so  great  and  powerful  a  nation. 

But  the  Feast,  the  Charity,  and  the  Prayers  of 
Ulphilas  were  of  no  avail ;  for  in  time  his  wife 
bore  him  a  daughter.  And  the  monarch  grieved 
and  murmured  at  his  fate. 

But,  when  they  brought  the  little  girl  to  him, 
his  heart  was  softened  at  the  sight  of  his  first-born 
— for  it  was  the  breathing  miniature  of  the  mother 
he  loved  so  well ;  and  his  grief  and  murmurings 
were  turned  into  joy  and  thankfulness.  Then, 
taking  it  in  his  arms,  he  pressed  it  to  his  bosom, 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  11 

and,  kissing  it,  praised  Allah  for  the  loving  gift, 
and  called  the  child  Evoe. 

At  sun-set,  alone  in  his  chamber,  he  prayed  that 
the  little  babe  might  live  to  be  a  solace  and  a 
comfort  to  him  in  the  winter  of  his  days,  and  that 
she  might  cling  unto  him,  and  so  twine  around 
him  in  his  old  age,  that  she  should  shed  a  new 
beauty  over  his  decay,  and  pour  about  him  the 
perfume  of  life,  even  to  his  parting  hour — like  a 
Rose  beside  a  Ruin. 

But  Ulphilas  was  stricken  to  the  ground  with 
sorrow,  to  find  that,  as  the  infant  bud  blossomed 
into  the  child,  his  little  Evoe  neither  spake  nor 
heard.  Yet  he  hoped  in  patience. 

Two  years  passed,  and  still  the  little  one  neither 
spake  nor  heard. 

And,  when  Ulphilas  found  that  the  ears  of  his 
first-born  were  sealed  to  the  fond  babblings  of  its 
mother,  and  that  its  tongue  was  tied  and  could  not 
utter  the  long-wished-for  music  of  "  Abba,  Father," 
he  grew  sad  and  sullen.  And  he  shut  himself  in 
his  chamber,  and  railed  at  the  world,  saying, 
"  There  is  naught  but  evil  in  it." 

In  the  depth  of  his  affliction,  he  sent  for  the 
wisest  and  most  learned  of  his  Dervishes.  And, 
when  the  Priest  had  come  to  him,  the  king  said, 
"  Tell  me,  O  Welee  !  thou  favorite  of  God,  what 
hath  my  little  one  done,  that  he  whom  thou  callest 
all  Justice,  should  have  visited  her  thus  heavily." 


12  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

The  Dervish,  bowing,  answered,  "  the  ways  of 
Allah  were  hidden  from  his  children,  but  that  He 
was  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful." 

Then  TJlphilas,  with  a  laugh  of  scorn,  blas- 
phemed, and,  murmuring  at  the  will  of  the  Most 
High,  asked  in  mockery  whether  it  was  '{merciful 
or  compassionate  to  punish  the  innoceny?" 

So  the  Dervish  strove  to  comfort  the  King,  and 
spake  of  the  wondrous  bounty  spread  over  the  face 
of  the  Earth,  telling  him  howfeach  little  ill  was 
found,  when  rightly  understood,  to  minister  to  some 
great  and  kindly  end.  \ 

But  Ulphilas  only  thought  of  the  affliction  of  his 
child,  and  laughed  in  scorn  the  more,  saying,  "  It 
is  a  dark  and  dreary  world,  and  there  is  no  good 
in  it." 

Then  the  Welee,  moved  by  the  blasphemous 
stubborness  of  the  monarch,  drew  himself  up  in 
anger  and  said,  in  a  solemn  voice,  "  Listen,  proud 
King, !  thou  to  whom  the  world  is  dark  and 
dreary,  and  who  canst  see  no  good  in  it.  Listen ! 
and  gather  knowledge  from  the  birds  of  the  air." 

And  he  spake  this  Fable  : — 

"  Of  all  the  birds,  the  Owl  was  held  to  be  the 
wisest.  He  lived  by  himself  in  a  mighty  castle,  far 
away  from  the  haunts  of  men.  He  never  went 
abroad  but  at  night,  and  saw  the  world  only  in  its 
darkness.  All  the  day  through  he  sat  in  his  dusky 
chamber,  brooding  over  the  eternal  gloorn  that 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  13 

seemed  to  him  to  cover  up  the  whole  Earth.  For  so 
perverted  was  his  sight,  that,  in  his  dull  eyes,  the 
brightest  light  was  as  the  blackest  shade  ;  and  what 
was  sunny  day  to  others  was  cloudy  night  to  him. 

"  And,  when  at  twilight  his  dismal  day  began, 
he  would  sally  forth,  and  as  he  flew  through  the 
damp  and  chilly  air  and  saw  the  black  fields  spread 
out  beneath  him,  he  would  hoot  at  every  thing — 
saying,  '  It  is  a  dark  and  dreary  world,  and  there  is 
no  good  in  it.' 

"  And  so,  because  he  railed  at  all  things,  looking 
at  Nature  only  in  her  dullest  aspect,  and  dwelt 
alone,  shunning  communion  with  every  creature,  he 
was  said  to  be  the  most  sedate  and  wisest  of  birds. 

"  Now,  it  chanced  one  morning,  as  the  sun  was 
rising,  that  the  Owl,  seeing  his  night  beginning  to 
set  in,  was  hastening  home  to  rest,  when  a  little 
Lark,  fresh  risen  from  its  grassy  bed,  was  singing 
high  up  in  the  air  above  him. 

"  The  Lark  heard  the  hooting  of  the  Owl,  and 
the  Owl  heard  the  caroling  of  the  Lark  ;  and,  in 
the  ears  of  the  happy  little  Lark,  to  whom  a]l 
Nature  seemed  to  be  rejoicing  in  the  increasing 
brightness,  the  railing  of  the  Owl  sounded  harsh 
and  ungrateful — while,  to  the  melancholy  Owl,  in 
whose  eyes  the  world  appeared  only  to  be  growing 
more  dark  and  dreary  than  before,  the  gay  song  of 
the  Lark  sounded  but  as  the  outpouring  of  thought- 
less vanity. 


14  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

«'  Then  the  Owl,  looking  up,  said  to  the  Lark, 
'  Cease  that  empty  song,  thou  silly  bird  !  When 
the  world  is  dark  and  dreary,  and  the  Earth  full 
of  woe,  is  it  meet  for  one  of  God's  creatures  to  sing  ? 
Go  home,  foolish  one  !  and  learn  some  strain  more 
fitting  to  the  gloom  that  overshadows  all  things.' 

"  But  the  little  Lark,  wondering  within  himself 
how  the  Owl  could  see  that  gloomy  which  to  him 
appeared  bathed  in  a  flood  of  light,  cried  down  to 
the  Owl,  saying,  '  Come  up  with  me !  come  up 
with  me  !  Thou  art  too  close  to  the  Earth  to  see 
its  brightness.  Come  nearer  Heaven,  and  look 
down  upon  the  beauty  spread  so  bounteously  over 
all  things,  and  then  thou  wilt  sing  as  joyously  as  I 
do,  seeing  the  world  is  not  dark  and  dreary,  nor  the 
Earth  full  of  woe.' 

"  So  the  Owl,  with  great  labor,  mounted  after 
the  Lark.  And,  as  he  traveled  up,  the  Lark  cried 
to  the  Owl,  '  Now,  look  down,  and  see  the  opening 
flowers — their  colors  freshened  with  the  dew  !  See 
how  they  shine  in  the  sun,  like  a  rainbow  spread 
over  the  earth  as  another  token  of  God's  loving- 
kindness  to  man  !  Look  at  the  rivers,  like  threads 
of  silver  !  Look  at  the  cornfields,  like  plates  of 
gold !  Look  at  the  fruit  trees,  bowed  down  with 
their  luscious  loads,  that  sparkle  like  many-colored 
gems  in  the  sunshine  !  Look  at  the  shadows  of 
the  passing  clouds,  fleeting  over  the  sunny  fields 
like  breath  upon  a  mirror !  Look  at  the  warm 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  15 

smooth  valleys,  spread  out  like  a  peaceful  lake  ; 
and  look  at  the  billowy,  snow-topped  mountains, 
heaving  as  if  they  were  the  white  crested  waves 
of  the  land  !' 

"  And,  as  the  Lark  said  this,  he  sang  louder  than 
before  ;  and  the  burden  of  his  song  was,  '  thanks  be 
to  God  for  his  wondrous  goodness  !  for  the  Earth 
is  not  dark  and  dreary,  nor  the  world  full  of  woe.' 

"  But  the  Owl  was  blinded  with  the  light  that 
the  Lark  rejoiced  in,  and  only  answered,  '  Foolish 
bird  !  thou  shouldst  look  at  the  world  with  my 
eyes,  and  then  thou  wouldst  see  nothing  bright  in 
it.  The  nearer  /  get  to  Heaven  the  blacker  the 
earth  appears  to  me ;  for  verily,  it  is  a  dark  and 
dreary  world  with  no  good  in  it !' 

"  So   the  Lark  flew  away,  saying,  '  Wise  as  1 
they  say  thou  art,  O  Owl !  still  couldst  thou  look 
at  the  Earth  with  my  eyes,  thou  wouldst  know 
that  the  universal  gloom  thou  seest  exists  not  in 
the  world,  but  in  thine  own  perverted  sight.' 

"And,  verily,  O  King,"  added  the  Welee,  "the 
wisdom  of  the  happy  Lark  was  tenfold  the  wisdom 
of  the  melancholy  Owl." 

Now,  when  the  monarch  heard  this,  he  grew 
sad,  and  beat  his  breast,  and  upbraided  himself  for 
his  complainings.  And  he  put  on  a  woolen  gar- 
ment of  a  sad-blue  color,  and  fasted  each  day,  from 
the  rising  to  the  setting  of  the  sun.  Then,  on  the 
first  Friday  of  the  new  moon,  he  went  on  a  pil- 


1(3 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


grimage  to  Mecca,  and  he  there  made  a  vow,  never 
more  to  murmur  at  the  will  of  Heaven.  And,  in- 
voking blessings  and  peace  on  the  Prophet,  he  again 
prayed  him  to  heseech  Allah  to  vouchsafe  unto  him 
a  son,  or  at  least  a  child  blest  with  the  power  to 
listen  to  his  counsels  and  call  him  "  Father." 

Nor  did  he  return  till  the  ninth  of  the  next 
month.  Then  he  gave  camels,  and  buffaloes,  and 
mules,  and  goats,  and  gold  and  silver,  in  alms  to 
the  poor.  And,  in  the  night  of  that  day,  he  had  a 
vision  in  his  sleep,  and  all  he  saw  was  green  ;  and 
he  was  comforted,  for  he  knew  that  the  dream  was 
auspicious. 


FTER  this  vision,  Ulphilas  be- 
came an  altered  man,  and  again 
sought  pleasure  in  the  chase. 
And  the  first  day  that  he  did  so 
a  gazelle  passed  by  him  with  its 
right  side  toward  him :  where- 
upon he  was  filled  with  joy,  for  he  saw  in  it  a  good 
omen. 

As  he  returned  to  the  city,  one  of  the  royal 
Eunuchs  came  hastening  to  meet  him  ;  and,  as  the 
man  approached  Ulphilas,  he  kissed  the  ground 
before  him,  saying,  "  O  King,  I  bring  thee  glad 
tidings,  thy  Queen  hath  borne  thee  a  son." 

Then  the  King's  joy  knew  no  bounds.  Dis- 
mounting, he  kissed  the  hand  of  the  messenger,  and, 
taking  from  his  side  his  royal  scimitar — the  head  of 
which  was  alight  with  large  jewels  of  many  colors 


18  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

and  exceeding  value — the  monarch  gave  it  to  the 
slave.  And  he  bade  the  emirs  and  nobles  that  were 
with  him  reward  the  man  for  the  glorious  news  he 
had  brought  him.  So  some  gave  the  Eunuch  their 
neck-ornaments  and  bracelets,  set  with  pearls  and 
jacinths ;  and  some  took  off  their  costly  robes  of 
honor,  and  gave  them  to  him  ;  and  others  descended 
from  the  horses  they  rode  upon,  and  made  the  slave 
the  owner  of  them  ;  while  many  presented  hiro 
with  large  sums  of  money,  till  the  bounty  of  the 
court  was  such  as  no  man  ever  received  before. 

Then,  as  the  king  entered  the  gates  of  the  capi- 
tal, he  found  all  the  houses  and  shops  adorned  with 
shawls  and  brocades  and  rich  dresses  ;  and  different 
kinds  of  costly  articles  of  merchandise  suspended  in 
front  of  them.  Across  the  streets  were  hung  many- 
colored  lamps  and  silk  flags  of  red  and  green.  From 
each  house  came  the  sound  of  music  and  rejoicing, 
and  the  whole  city  was  fragrant  with  the  burning 
of  ambergris. 

As  the  monarch  passed  on  his  way  to  the  palace, 
the  exulting  people  cried  with  one  voice,  "  Long 
live  the  Prince !  Long  live  great  Ulphilas,  our 
King !" 

But  Ulphilas  made  no  reply  ;  for  he  saw  that  the 
flowers  and  other  ornamental  devices  with  which 
his  subjects  had  decorated  their  doors  had,  in  the 
haste,  been  painted  on  a  dark-blue  background. 
And  he  shook  with  fear;  for  he  knew  it  was  the 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  19 

color  of  mourning,  and  looked  on  it  as  the  harbinger 
of  evil. 

But,  when  the  King  reached  the  palace,  he  soon 
forgot  the  idle  omen,  in  the  delight  he  felt  at  the 
sight  of  the  infant  boy  that  had  fulfilled  all  his 
hopes  and  prayers. 

When  he  had  kissed  and  blessed  the  babe,  he 
called  his  vizier,  and  ordered  him  to  proclaim  a 
seven-days'  feast  throughout  the  land.  And  he 
commanded  that  the  streets  should  be  canopied  over 
from  end  to  end,  and  the  city  decorated  and  lighted 
with  lamps,  countless  as  the  stars ;  and  that  fires 
of  aloes  and  other  scented  woods  should  be  placed  in 
all  the  public  ways ;  and  that  the  shops  should  be 
closed  neither  night  nor  day.  Then  he  ordered  that 
kitchens  should  be  set  up  around  the  city  walls,  and 
that  all  kinds  of  viands  should  be  cooked  there,  both 
by  day  and  by  night ;  and  that  all  who  were  in  the 
city,  and  that  all  who  were  in  the  country  around, 
far  and  near,  should  eat  and  drink,  and  carry  home 
to  their  houses.  And  he  directed  that  every  one 
who  was  in  the  prisons,  both  the  criminal  and  the 
debtor,  should  be  set  free.  And,  after  this,  he  pub- 
lished an  edict  that  he  would  receive  no  tribute  for 
three  years  to  come  from  such  as  lived  by  the  la- 
bor of  their  hands ;  and  he  made  over  to  the  poor 
the  remainder  of  the  tribute  that  should  be  paid 
him  by  the  nobles  and  merchants  during  that  time. 

But  scarcely  had  the  feast  begun,  than  she  who 


20  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

bore  the  King  his  son,  died  ;  and  Ulphilas  bowed 
down  his  head  like  a  reed  in  the  storm. 

Then  the  countless  lamps  were  extinguished  and 
the  fires  of  aloes- wood  put  out,  and  the  brief  revel- 
ry of  the  city  gave  way  to  long  sorrowing.  And 
the  broken-hearted  King  had  the  walls  of  his  cham- 
ber smeared  over  with  woad.  And  he  cast  off  his 
robes  of  bright  colors,  and  wore  nothing  but  woolen 
garments  of  a  sad,  somber  hue.  And  the  gold- 
worked  cushions  and  the  rich  embroidered  cover- 
ings of  his  divans,  were  placed  face  downward,  and 
the  carpets  were  turned  with  their  patterns  to  the 
ground. 

And  the  old  monarch  wept  like  a  child  over  his 
infant  son,  saying,  "  If  this  bereavement  be  a  loss  to 
me,  how  much  greater  a  loss  it  is  to  thee,  my  poor 
little  one  !  If  the  cup  of  joy  has  been  dashed  from 
my  lips,  has  not  the  fountain  of  life  been  snatched 
from  thine  ?  Who  shall  be  a  mother  to  thee  ? 
Who  shall  tend  and  watch  over  thy  babyhood  as 
she  would  have  tended  and  watched  over  thee  ? — 
thee,  in  whom  I  had  longed  to  see  her  gentleness 
mingled  with  my  rougher  nature.  But,  alas  !  no 
sooner  art  thou  sent  unto  me,  than  she — the  gentle 
one — is  torn  from  me,  and  both  of  us  are  robbed  of 
our  greatest  treasure.  While  I  could  not  spare  her 
for  past  happiness,  thou  couldst  not  spare  her  for 
happiness  to  come." 

Then  the  King  sent  out  messengers  to  all  the 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  21 

country  round,  to  seek  a  fitting  foster-mother  for  the 
young  prince,  whom  he  named  Aleph,  for  he  said, 
"  he  shall  be  a  great  leader  among  men." 

But  the  messengers  found  not  any  to  please  the 
King ;  and  he  bade  them  go  forth  again  and  seek 
the  healthiest  matron  in  all  his  dominions,  so  that 
his  royal  son  might  grow  into  a  stalwart  man,  as 
vigorous  in  body  as  in  mind,  and  be  blessed  with  a 
frame  fit  for  the  fatigues  of  conquest. 

At  length  the  messengers  returned,  bringing  with 
them  the  robust  and  comely  wife  of  Ergastor  the 
laborer,  with  her  infant  son  Huan  in  her  amis  and 
her  little  daughter  Anthy  at  her  side,  as  proofs  of 
the  justness  of  their  choice. 

When  the  King  saw  the  dame's  sun-burnt  face, 
ruddy  as  a  ripe  apple — and  beheld  the  firm  and 
round  limbs  of  the  infant  boy,  the  flesh  plumped 
out  with  exuberance  of  health — and  when  he  gazed 
upon  the  rustic  beauty  of  the  little  girl  Anthy,  with 
her  dimpled  cheeks,  dyed  crimson  with  the  hues  of 
morning  and  yet  fair  as  rose-leaves  steeped  in  milk  ; 
and  her  full  eyes,  blue  and  clear  and  deep  as  the  sea 
far  away  from  land  ;  and  her  long,  loose  hair,  gold- 
en and  wavy  as  a  corn  field  in  autumn — he  com- 
mended his  messengers  for  the  choice  they  had  made, 
and  doubled  the  sum  they  had  promised  the  matron 
for  the  nurture  of  the  Prince. 

Then  the  pretty  little  Anthy  and  the  still-sleep- 
ing Huan  were  taken  back  to  their  home,  while  the 


22  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

mother  remained  behind,  to  nourish  the  royal  Aleph 
with  the  milk  that  nature  had  vouchsafed  for  the 
nourishment  of  her  own  little  one. 


S  the  infant  Prince  waxed  stronger 
and  stronger  with  the  sustenance 
of  Huan's  mother,  the  little  peas- 
ant-boy grew  weaker  and  weaker 
from  the  want  of  it ;  so  that,  as 
the  limbs  of  the  King's  son  became 
plump  and  firm,  the  muscles  of  the  laborer's  child 
became  flaccid  and  pitted  with  the  touch ;  and  his 
bones  grew  soft  and  bent  under  him,  as  he  tried  to 
use  his  little  feet. 

And,  when  two  summers  had  passed,  and  the 
royal  Aleph  was  taken  from  the  breast,  the  mother 
left  the  monarch's  boy  a  little  lion  in  strength,  and 
returned  home — to  find  her  own  child  with  his  right 
leg  withered,  and  crippled  for  life. 

Summer  after  summer  rolled  on ;  and  still  the 
laborer's  son,  though  a  youth  in  years,  was  a  babe  in 


24  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

strength  and  helplessness.  Then  his  father,  Ergas- 
tor,  began  to  see  that  the  lad  would  always  be  a 
burden  on  his  labor ;  and  that,  where  other  men 
like  him  found  their  boys  adding  to  the  weekly 
wealth,  his  could  only  take  from  it,  and  ever  remain 
a  useless  drone  in  the  busy  hive. 

And,  as  he  contrasted  the  deformity  of  the  Crip- 
ple Huan  with  the  fair  proportions  of  the  pretty 
Anthy,  and  glanced  from  the  comeliness  of  the  girl 
to  the  unseemliness  of  the  boy,  he  grew  more  and 
more  fond  of  the  one,  and  more  and  more  neglectful 
of  the  other ;  until  at  length  he  got  to  spoil  the 
rnaid  and  spurn  the  lad,  loving  to  see  the  little  dam- 
sel decked  out  in  all  the  gaudy  finery  he  could  afford 
to  lavish  on  her,  and  leaving  the  "  locust"  boy  to 
crawl  about  in  rags. 

At  nightfall,  on  his  return  from  labor,  Ergastor 
had  always  a  kiss  and  a  kind  word  for  the  one,  and 
a  cuff  and  a  harsh  word  for  the  other.  And,  when 
it  was  holiday- time,  and  pleasure  led  him  to  the 
city,  he  would  take  his  little  rosebud  Anthy  with 
him,  and  leave  the  "  good-for-nothing"  Huan  to  sit, 
as  usual,  on  the  door-step,  basking  in  the  sun.  Then 
the  father's  bosom  would  swell  with  pride  to  hear 
the  flattering  things  that  were  sure  to  be  said  of  the 
loveliness  of  his  girl,  and  his  heart  sink  within  him, 
when  his  friends  asked  with  pity  after  his  poor 
afflicted  boy. 

So  things  went  on — the  laborer  ever  praising  his 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  25 

darling  beauty,  and  muttering  at  the  poor  Cripple 
— till  the  once-artless  little  girl  grew — poor  thing  ! 
— into  the  vain,  coquettish  maid,  and  the  neglected 
boy  became  moody  and  sullen,  arid  moped  his  sport- 
less  youth  away,  so  that — while  yet  a  frolicksome 
lad  in  years — he  was  a  morose  old  man  in  habit  and 
in  heart. 

Nor  was  the  premature  moroseness  of  poor  Huan 
to  be  wondered  at.  He  had  hardly  heard  a  word  of 
loving -kindness  from  his  cradle — unless,  indeed,  it 
came  from  passing  strangers,  who  pitied  him,  as  they 
noticed  the  poor  Cripple  moping  on  the  threshold. 
For,  while  his  father  only  saw  in  the  helplessness  of 
the  lad  an  everlasting  tax  upon  his  labor,  and  was 
ever  taunting  the  wretched  boy  with  his  infirmities, 
his  mother,  though  less  harsh,  was  scarcely  more 
kind.  She  remembered  the  pretty  and  well-formed 
babe  he  was ;  and,  reading  in  the  youth's  crooked 
and  stunted  limbs  a  bitter  reproach  to  herself  for 
giving  to  another  the  nourishment  that  should  have 
gone  to  him,  she  got  to  dislike  the  sight  of  the  lad, 
and  to  shun  him  for  the  ugly  lesson  he  was  to  her. 

Little  Anthy,  indeed,  was  the  sole  friend  he  had. 
Blinded  by  early  habit  to  his  deformities,  the  girl 
only  saw  and  felt  for  the  privations  of  her  Cripple- 
brother.  All  she  knew  was,  he  lacked  the  strength 
to  sport  and  play  as  she  did,  and  this  made  her  pity, 
and  love  to  help  and  befriend,  him.  So  she  would 
stand  between  her  brother  and  her  father's  anger, 


26  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

shielding  the  poor  boy  from  many  a  blow  ;  and  when 
Ergastor  brought  her  any  new  toy  or  childish  gift, 
she  would  share  it  by  stealth  with  the  unthought- 
of-Cripple. 

Thus  Huan  grew  to  find  in  his  sister  the  only 
charm  life  had  for  him,  and  to  love  her  as  he 
loved  the  sunshine,  which  warmed  his  numbed  and 
withered  limbs. 

But  it  was  far  otherwise  with  the  Prince.  As 
he  advanced  to  man's  estate,  his  thoughtless  days 
danced  along  with  ever-changing  sports,  and  the 
whole  country  round  rang  with  the  skill,  the  spirit, 
and  the  promise  of  the  handsome  youth.  None 
could  sit  the  Arab  horse  as  he  did  !  None  could 
cast  the  javelin  so  sure  and  far  as  he  !  Who  was 
so  bold  a  hunter  as  Prince  Aleph  ?  Who  was  so 
brave  and  generous  a  youth  ?  Could  any  compare 
with  him  in  manly  vigor  or  manly  beauty  ? 

And,  when  Huan  heard  these  praises  echoed  at 
his  father's  board,  he  looked  at  his  withered  and 
stunted  limbs,  and  his  heart  sank  within  him. 

Then,  as  the  Cripple  sat  by  the  door,  he  would 
brood  over  the  fine  things  he  had  heard  said  of  the 
young  Prince,  repeating  them  to  himself  with  sneers. 
And  he  would  begin  to  think  that  the  strength  of 
the  royal  boy  ought  to  have  been  his.  And  he  would 
mutter  to  himself,  "  It  was  the  milk  that  should 
have  been  mine  that  gave  this  manly  vigor  and  this 
manly  beauty  to  his  frame.  It  was  the  mother's 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  27 

milk,  that  kind  Providence  gave  to  nerve  and  nour- 
ish me,  that  has  made  him  the  young  hero ;  and 
it  was  the  stealing  of  it  from  me  that  has  made  me 
the  Cripple.  The  muscles  that  make  him  throw 
the  javelin  so  sure  and  far  should  have  been  mine. 
The  skill  and  courage  that  all  admire  him  for  should 
have  been  mine.  The  form,  the  power,  the  health 
and  spirits  of  the  man  should  have  been  mine — 
they  were  my  birthright — my  inalienable  property 
— if  ever  human  being  justly  had  property  on  earth 
— God's  free  gift  to  me,  sent  with  the  first  breath 
I  drew — yes,  all,  in  common  honesty,  were  mine, 
and,  in  common  justice,  should  be  mine  still.  But, 
robbed  of  them,  what  a  helpless  beggar  am  I  left — 
doomed  to  eat  the  food  I  long,  but  want  the  power, 
to  earn.  A  hideous  Cripple  !  Ay,  a  Cripple  !  when 
the  labor  of  my  muscles  was  all  I  had  wherewith  to 
get  a  living  for  myself." 

The  chord  once  struck,  vibrated  and  vibrated 
in  the  wretched  Huan's  bosom,  until,  at  length,  he 
would  sit  day  after  day  in  the  sunshine,  listening  to 
its  solemn  and  melancholy  music. 

So,  in  time,  he  got  to  hate  the  royal  youth,  as 
one  who  had  done  him  some  deadly  wrong  and  he 
loved  to  nurse  bitter  and  savage  thoughts  against 
young  Aleph  ;  while  each  harsh  word  and  cuff 
Huan  got,  he  would  add,  in  his  own  mind,  to  the 
long  score  of  suffering  he  owed  the  Prince. 

Sometimes  the  happy  Aleph,  on  his  way  to  the 


28  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

chase,  or  returning  from  it,  would  stop  at  the  la- 
borer's cot,  to  say  a  passing  word  of  greeting  to  his 
foster-mother,  or  else  to  take  another  glance  at  the 
budding  beauty  of  the  graceful  Anthy.  Then  Huan 
would  look  at  him  from  under  his  brows,  and  run 
his  eyes  askant  up  and  down  the  well-knit  form  of 
the  noble  lad;  and  he  would  look  on  the  Prince 
with  a  grim  delight,  as  if  in  him  he  saw  himself  as 
he  ought  to  have  been.  And  he  would  think  that 
such  as  Aleph  was  Huan  icmild  have  been  too,  had 
not  the  thews  and  sinews  of  that  very  form  been 
pilfered  from  him  before  he  was  able  to  raise  even 
a  voice  against  the  wrong.  And,  when  the  Prince 
spoke  kindly  to  the  Cripple,  and  looked  at  him  with 
pity — as  indeed  he  seldom  failed  to  do — Huan 
would  sneer,  and  mutter  to  himself  from  between 
his  teeth,  "  By  right  J  should  be  the  pitier  !" 


the  jTonrtl). 


HEN  the  royal  youth  had 
grown  a  man,  his  proud  fa- 
ther gave  him  the  sword  and 
suit  of  Davidean  mail  with 
which  he  himself  had  so 
often  carved  his  way  to  vic- 
tory ;  and,  placing  him  at  the  head  of  his  troops, 
he  blessed  the  stripling  Chief,  and  bade  him  go 
forth  with  them,  and  make  his  enemies  bend  the 
knee  to  Aleph  as  they  once  had  bent  the  knee  to 
Ulphilas. 

And,  when  the  news  came  of  his  boy's  first  vic- 
tory, the  exulting  monarch  made  the  whole  city 
merry  with  his  lavish  bounty ;  and  on  the  poets 
that  sang  the  Prince's  praises  Ulphilas  bestowed 
dresses  of  honor  of  exceeding  splendor  and  great 
value,  and  gold  embroidered  turbans,  and  neck- 
rings  and  bracelets  set  with  jewels. 


30  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Then,  on  the  return  of  the  beardless  hero,  his 
father  hugged  him  to  his  swelling  bosom,  and  wept 
over  him  with  joy. 

After  the  Prince  had  sojourned  for  a  time  in  the 
city,  the  ambitious  Ulphilas  sent  him  forth  a 
second  time  to  reap  new  honor  in  the  battle-field. 

A  second  time  the  lad  returned  victorious,  and  a 
second  time  the  happy  King  made  the  city  rejoice 
in  the  triumph. 

Again  and  again  his  father  sent  him  forth,  and 
again  and  again  the  people  and  the  poets  hailed 
him  Conqueror,  until  at  length  his  praises  were  on 
every  man's  lips.  Old  warriors  wondered  at  the 
prowess  of  the  lad,  and  maidens  loved  to  listen  to 
the  story  of  his  battles.  The  nation  almost  wor- 
shiped the  warrior-boy  for  the  glory  of  his  deeds, 
and  all,  without  a  murmur,  poured  forth  their 
share  of  the  tribute — though  each  fresh  conquest 
nearly  doubled  the  sum  required  at  their  hands. 

Then  Ergastor  the  laborer,  who — burdened  as 
he  was  with  the  Cripple  Huan — had  before  found 
it  hard,  out  of  his  little  earnings,  to  furnish  his 
share  of  the  tribute  money,  and  still  dress  his 
pretty  daughter  as  he  loved  to  see  her,  now  felt 
the  payments  of  the  tax  fall  so  heavy,  and  come 
round  so  often,  that  he  began  to  see  he  must  forego 
all  further  finery  for  his  pet  girl — at  least,  "  so 
long  as  he  was  cursed  with  that  locust,  good-for- 
nothing:  son  of  his." 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  31 

And,  when  he  beheld  the  once-smart  Anthy  clad 
in  garments  as  plain  and  humble  as  the  daughters  of 
his  neighbors,  he  began  to  wish  his  Cripple-boy  were 
dead,  and  to  grudge  him  each  crust  he  saw  him  eat. 

Then,  as  Ergastor  was  alone  at  his  work,  he 
would  think  to  himself,  if  that  drone  of  his  were 
dead  and  gone,  how  happy  he  might  be  at  home 
with  the  money  the  fellow  took  to  keep  him  ;  say- 
ing, he  would  no  longer  feel  ashamed  then,  as  he 
did  now,  to  take  his  darling  Anthy  to  the  city  with 
him  of  a  holyday. 

Thus  he  would  pass  day  after  day,  until  he  got 
to  harbor  ugly  thoughts  against  the  wretched  Crip- 
ple, and  pray  Allah  it  would  please  Him  to  remova 
the  hateful  burden  from  his  back. 

At  length  he  made  up  his  mind  that  the  boy 
should  at  least  try  to  do  something  for  what  he 
ate.  Surely  he  could  tend  swine — there  wasn't 
much  labor  in  that,  at  any  rate — and  it  would  be 
teaching  him  he  wasn't  to  fatten  upon  the  bread 
of  idleness  all  his  life,  but  must  begin  to  look  about 
for  himself  a  little,  instead  of  lolling  and  dozing  the 
whole  day  through  in  the  sun  as  he  did. 

So,  on  the  morrow,  the  laborer  placed  his  son  on 
his  mule,  and  journeyed  with  him  and  the  herd 
into  the  forest.  And,  when  he  had  reached  the 
heart  of  it,  he  helped  the  lad  down,  and,  giving 
him  his  crutch,  bade  him  let  him  see  whether  he 
couldn't  do  something  for  his  living. 


32  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

But  the  poor  Cripple  limped  in  vain  after  the 
swine.  His  unnerved  limbs  soon  began  to  fail 
him;  and  crying  and  sinking  with  fatigue,  he  lean- 
ed against  a  tree,  while  the  herd  went  straggling  on. 

When  his  father  saw  how  unequal  the  lad  was 
to  the  task,  and  how  utterly  useless  the  Cripple 
was,  he  grew  savage,  and  swore  at  him,  and  tried 
to  cuff  him  on. 

At  length,  finding  even  this  of  no  avail,  he  turn- 
ed round,  more  savage  than  before,  and,  gathering 
the  herd,  told  the  affrighted  boy  that  he  might 
hobble  home  as  best  he  could — and  went  his  way, 
leaving  the  poor  helpless  wretch  alone  in  the 
forest. 

As  Huan  saw  his  father's  form  disappear  among 
the  trees,  and  heard  the  grunting  of  the  departing 
swine  grow  fainter  and  fainter  in  the  distance,  he 
cried  after  him,  "  Father  !  Father !  Father  !"  each 
cry  growing  louder  and  louder  with  his  fear. 
Nearly  wild  with  fright,  he  took  to  his  crutch  once 
more,  and  limped  after  him,  till  his  weak  and 
aching  muscles  refused  to  carry  him. 

Then,  as  he  lay  upon  the  ground,  Huan  felt 
assured  his  father  would  relent  and  come  back  for 
him — he  never  could  mean  to  leave  him  to  starve 
and  die  in  the  woods.  Next  he  thought,  if  his 
father  did  return,  he  would  go  to  the  spot  where 
they  had  parted,  but,  finding  no  one  there,  he 
would  not  know  where  to  seek  him. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  33 

So  Huan  crawled  back  again  to  the  place  he 
had  left,  and  sat  weeping  on  the  ground,  waiting 
with  wretched  anxiety,  and  listening  to  every 
sound  he  caught,  till  he  felt  sure  each  one  was  the 
noise  of  the  approaching  herd. 

At  length  the  measured  blows  of  a  distant  ax 
roused  him.  In  a  moment  he  was  up  and  scram- 
bling toward  the  quarter  whence  the  sound  proceed- 
ed, shrieking  and  screaming,  "  Help  !  Help  !" 
And  when  after  a  time  the  blows  ceased,  he 
fancied  the  woodman  had  heard  his  cries  and  was 
coming  to  seek  him. 

Then,  tearing  a  piece  from  his  ragged  clothes, 
he  tied  it  to  the  end  of  his  crutch,  and  waved  it  as 
high  as  he  could  in  the  air,  hallooing  and  hallooing 
and  looking  first  this  way  and  then  that,  among 
the  distant  trees ;  until  at  length,  worn  out  with 
his  vain  hopes,  and  spent,  with  the  wild  energy  of 
his  exertions,  he  sank  to  the  ground  in  an  agony  of 
despair. 

Suddenly  he  started  up  again,  as  a  distant  mur- 
muring fell  upon  his  ear.  "  Thank  Heaven,  there 
they  were  at  last !  He  knew  his  father  only 
wanted  to  frighten  him.  Yes!  there  could  be  no 
mistake  this  time,  for  that  was  the  grunting  of  the 
swine — and,  hark  !  tJuit  was  the  voice  of  his  father 
shouting  to  him." 

Then,  as  he  thought  he  could  hear  the  sounds 
taking  a  wrong  direction,  he  put  his  hands  to  his 
3 


34  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

mouth,  and  shrieked  through  them  at  the  top  of 
his  voice.  But  no  one  came ;  and  still  the  mur- 
murings  went  on,  for  it  was  only  the  rising  breeze 
at  sundown  moaning  and  whistling  through  the 
forest. 

And  when  he  saw  the  distance  grow  blacker  and 
blacker  in  the  thickening  dusk,  and  the  trunks  of 
the  trees  fade  one  by  one  from  before  his  straining 
eyes,  he  became  the  sport  of  his  senses,  for,  in  the 
dimness,  every  object  assumed  the  form  of  that 
which  he  longed  to  see.  Now  he  beheld  his  kind 
sister  Anthy  coming  to  seek  him,  with  her  little 
basket  on  her  arm — filled  no  doubt  with  food  for 
him.  Then,  yonder  was  his  mother  approaching 
with  the  old  mule  to  carry  him  back ;  then  after 
that  he  could  see  woodman  after  woodman  return- 
ing, with  their  loads,  home  from  their  labor. 

But,  when  the  shades  of  nightfall  had  filled  up 
each  chink  of  light,  all  hope  fled,  and,  falling  on 
his  knees,  he  prayed  his  heavenly  Father  to  look 
with  pity  on  his  helplessness,  and  show  him  the 
mercy  which  he  now  knew  it  was  idle  to  expect 
from  his  earthly  one. 

Soon  the  growling  of  the  beasts  of  prey  put  an 
end  to  the  trance  into  which  he  had  fallen  ;  and, 
as  he  saw  their  bright  eyes  moving  like  lights 
between  the  trees,  the  fright  of  the  crippled  boy 
returned  tenfold,  and  quickened  his  frame  with  un- 
natural strength. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


35 


Then,  crutch  in  hand,  he  crawled  and  crawled 
about,  through  brake  and  bramble,  till  his  palms 
were  scored  and  his  rags  half  stripped  from  him  by 
the  briers  in  his  way — for  stay  still  he  dare  not. 

At  length,  something  white  in  the  distance 
loomed  before  him.  It  must  be  some  woodman's 
cot,  and,  thank  God  !  he  was  safe  at  last. 

But,  as  he  neared  it,  he  found  the  cot  a  rock. 

Then,  limping  round  it  in.  search  of  some  shelter 
for  the  night,  he  perceived  a  cave ;  so,  praising 
Heaven  for  the  mercy  it  had  shown,  he  entered, 
and,  cold  and  worn,  laid  his  wearied  body  down, 
and  tried  to  rest. 


IW 


UT  poor  Huan  was  too  hungry 
to  sleep.  The  few  acorns  he  had 
^picked  up  in  the  forest  had  served 
:to  increase  rather  than  stay  his 
^cravings.  Besides,  he  feared  to 
close  his  eyes,  lest  the  wild  heasts 
that  he  knew  infested  the  wood,  might  scent  him 
out  and  attack  him  as  he  slumbered.  So  he 
gathered  together  the  dry  leaves  and  sticks  at 
the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  made  a  fire  with 
them  in  order  to  scare  the  prowling  creatures 
from  him. 

Then,  as  the  burning  twigs  and  fagots  sent  forth 
their  lurid  flames,  he  cast  his  eyes  timidly  around, 
and,  to  his  horror,  saw  the  broken  sides  of  the  cave 
all  wet  with  a  crimson  dew,  and  red  drops,  like 
gouts  of  blood,  falling  from  the  roof.  Turning  his 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  37 

head,  to  look  further  into  the  black  recess,  he  saw 
pale-blue  lights  floating  midway  in  the  air. 

Taking  one  of  the  burning  branches  from  the 
fire,  he  moved,  as  if  drawn  on  by  some  magic  spell, 
to  see  into  what  strange  place  he  had  strayed. 
Then,  as  he  advanced,  trembling,  into  the  interior 
of  the  cavern,  a  low  murmuring  sound  fell  upon 
his  ear,  and  the  dank  walls  glistened  beneath  his 
hand,  as  he  staggered  on.  In  every  corner  shone 
bright  lights,  like  eyes,  glaring  upon  him ;  here 
and  there  he  stumbled  on  some  green  bone  that  lay 
rotting  on  the  ground.  Now,  he  had  to  bend  his 
head,  as  he  went  along  the  narrow  way,  and  now 
the  passage  so  widened,  that  the  sides  were  lost  to 
him,  while  the  roof  grew  so  high,  that  he  could 
riot  see  it  in  the  gloom. 

Then,  as  the  passages  narrowed  again,  he  saw, 
cut  out  of  the  jagged  rock,  a  mighty  throne,  and 
seat  after  seat  raised  around  it,  one  above  the 
other — he  could  not  tell  how  high — as  if  it  were 
some  goblin  hall.  Frightened,  he  turned  round 
to  fly ;  but  where  he  had  entered  by  one  passage, 
now  many  stood  before  him.  At  the  mouth  of 
each  a  monster  figure  grinned  at  him  from  out  the 
walls.  Here  was  a  huge  bearded  head  frowning 
at  him.  There,  a  giant  warrior  with  a  helmet 
and  a  coat  of  mail.  And  there,  a  mammoth  beast, 
winged  and  with  open  jaws,  guarded  the  passage. 

Wild  with  terror,  he  hobbled  down  the  one  by 
which  he  thought  he  had  entered.  But  as  he 


38  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

advanced,  he  heard  the  running  and  splashing  of 
water  ;  and  the  murmurs  which  had  first  fell  upon 
hjs  ear  now  grew  into  groans,  while  he  was  half- 
stifled  with  the  sulphurous  fumes  that  came  roll- 
ing toward  him,  as  he  felt  the  ground  grow  hot 
under  his  feet. 

At  last  the  light  of  his  torch  hegan  to  grow  dim, 
and  refuse  to  burn  in  the  fetid  atmosphere.  Then, 
turning  round,  he  limped  back  again  to  the  goblin 
hall ;  and  scarcely  had  he  reached  it,  when  some 
winged  thing  flew  at  his  burning  branch,  and,  dash- 
ing out  the  flame  with  its  wings,  darted  off  with  a 
screech  that  rattled  against  the  walls  and  down 
the  sides  of  the  cave,  till  the  whole  place  seemed  to 
ring  with  a  laughter  of  innumerable  fiends. 

No  sooner  was  his  torch  extinguished,  than  Huan 
knew  by  the  red  glare  shining  down  one  of  the  pas- 
sages, that  his  fire  was  burning  at  the  end  of  it ; 
and,  groping  his  way  through  the  thick  clouds  of 
smoke  and  mist,  at  last,  nearly  frenzied  with  what 
he  had  seen,  he  was  again  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

Throwing  himself  down  on  the  earth,  he  put  his 
hands  before  bis  eyes,  and  trembled  from  head  to 
foot,  as  if  his  whole  frame  was  palsied ;  while  in- 
wardly the  poor  frantic  boy  prayed  and  prayed  for 
the  sweet  unconsciousness  of  sleep. 

But  his  brain  was  too  excited  to  allow  him  to 
know  the  blessed  peace  of  slumber. 

At  last,  as  the  lad  grew  calmer,  his  mind  began 
to  revert  to  the  cause  of  all  his  bitter  sufferings. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  39 

He  brooded  again  over  the  wrongs  of  his  in- 
fancy, and  saw  again  in  the  Prince  the  worker  of  all 
his  misery.  It  was  Aleph  who  had  robbed  him  of 
his  natural  nourishment  and  had  made  him  the 
Cripple.  It  was  Aleph  whose  wars  had  caused 
the  burden  of  his  helplessness  to  press  doubly  heavy 
on  his  father,  and  had  made  the  Cripple  the  outcast. 

And,  in  the  fury  of  his  injuries,  he  invoked  a 
curse  upon  the  head  of  his  irijurer  ;  and,  wishing 
from  his  heart  that  he  had  the  strength  of  a  Giant 
to  curse  the  hated  Prince,  Huan  grew  exhausted 
with  his  rage  and  fell  into  a  restless  sleep. 

Then,  as  he  slept,  he  saw  the  Demons  of  Wrong 
and  Retribution  prompting  him  on  to  horrid  deeds 
— one  offering  him  a  dagger — another  a  javelin — 
while  a  third  taunted  him  and  bade  him  be  a 
Man — and  a  fourth  spat  at  him,  and  called  him 
"  coward."  And,  as  each  Demon  did  his  work,  he 
could  hear  a  far-off  choir  of  hidden  Fiends  chant- 
ing the  story  of  his  injuries  in  the  same  melancholy 
music  that  he  himself  had  loved  to  listen  to — until, 
maddened  with  their  devilish  goadings,  he  made  a 
clutch  at  the  javelin  brandished  before  him,  and, 
in  the  endeavor  to  clutch  it,  woke — and  found 
himself  the  Giant  he  had  prayed  to  be. 

Before  him  stood  the  fascinating  Spirit  of  Re- 
venge, tricked  out  in  the  unsullied  robes  of  Honor, 
and  wearing  the  mask  of  Right.  Around  her  head 
a  glory  seemed  to  shine,  and  in  her  hand  she  held 
the  sword  and  scales  of  Justice. 


40  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Putting  the  wrongs  of  the  Cripple  into  one  scale 
and  the  sword  into  the  other,  she  weighed  them 
against  each  other,  and  Huan  smiled  savagely  as 
he  saw  the  sword  kick  the  beam. 

She  told  him — and,  as  she  spake,  her  words 
sounded  as  the  sweetest  music  in  his  ears — that 
the  gift  of  his  unatural  strength  was  hers ;  chang- 
ing his  crutch  into  a  spear,  she  bade  him  go  forth 
her  servant ;  and,  now  that  she  had  made  him 
more  than  Man,  at  least  to  be  Man  enough  to  give 
back  wrong  for  wrong,  and  to  blot  out  Injury  with 
the  blood  of  the  Injurer. 

Falling  on  his  knees,  the  amazed  Huan  asked  by 
what  name  he  should  worship  his  guardian  Angel. 
Whereupon  the  Spirit  spake  as  follows  : — 

"  Of  the  blind  Goddess  Justice  there  were  born 
two  children.  The  one  was  fair  and  golden-haired 
as  the  Morning,  the  other  dark  and  black-eyed  as 
the  daughters  of  the  East.  The  fair  one  was  weak 
and  gentle  like  the  Lamb — the  dark  one  proud- 
spirited and  dauntless  as  the  Lion.  And  the  fair 
and  gentle  maid  they  named  Forgiveness,  while 
her  dark,  proud  sister  they  called  Revenge. 

"  When  the  two  had  grown  up  to  womanhood, 
their  blind  Mother  called  them  to  her  side,  and, 
having  blessed  them,  bade  them  say  which  of  her 
possessions  she  should  bestow  upon  them  as  their 
dower.  To  her  eldest  child,  Revenge,  she  gave 
the  first  choice. 

"  And   the  dark  damsel    asked   for  the    sword 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  41 

wherewith  to  protect  the  Injured  and  punish  the 
Injurer.  But  gentle  Forgiveness,  falling  on  her 
knees,  besought  her  Mother  that  she  might  inherit 
her  blindness  as  her  portion,  so  that,  being  blind, 
she  might  be  merciful  to  erring  Man. 

"  Then  Justice,  turning  to  her  younger  child, 
said,  '  Thou  hast  chosen  rightly,  my  gentle  one ; 
for  whereas  thy  sterner  sister  hath  asked  of  me 
that  which  was  given  to  me  by  Man,  thou  hast  de- 
sired of  me  that  which  was  given  to  me  by  God.' 

"  Then  Revenge,  jealous  of  her  sister's  praise, 
parted  from  Forgiveness  forever,  and  went  abroad 
to  see  which  of  the  two  would  win  most  favor 
among  the  sons  of  the  Earth. 

"  Wherever  she  went,  high  and  low,  noble  and 
ignoble,  bent  the  knee  and  worshiped  her.  And 
to  those  who  sought  her  aid  she  gave  such  strength 
and  courage,  and  spoke  so  winningly,  and  looked 
so  like  her  mother,  that  men  mistook  her  for  Jus- 
tice herself.  At  her  bidding,  nation  warred  against 
nation  ;  for  she  preached  the  captivating  creed  of 
blood  for  blood,  until  men  blessed  the  sword,  and 
the  fairest  of  the  land  admired  him  the  most  who 
wielded  it  the  best. 

"  So  that,  when  at  length  Forgiveness  came, 
and  strove  to  teach  a  gentler  doctrine  to  Mankind, 
they  spurned  her  for  her  blindness  and  her  weak- 
ness; and  those  that  listened  to  her  counsels  they 
branded  as  cowards,  \vhile  those  that  slew  the  most 
they  praised  as  heroes. 


4-2 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


"  Dost  thou  know  me  now  ?"  the  Spirit  asked,  as 
Huan  lifted  up  his  clasped  hands,  in  adoration  of  her. 

" I  do !"  he  cried,  "I  do  !  thou  art  the  proud 
spirit  of  Re " 

"  Hush  !"  she  exclaimed,  hefore  the  word  had 
passed  his  lips.  "  On  Earth  they  call  me  Honor, 
— in  Heaven  alone  I  am  known  as  Revenge  !" 

Huan  was  about  to  swear  eternal  devotion  to 
the  Spirit,  but— before  the  oath  had  left  his  lips,  he 
was  alone  again  in  the  cave. 

Then  for  the  first  time,  he  felt  a  vigor  in  all 
his  limbs,  and  the  hot  blood  of  youth  dancing  and 
tingling  in  his  veins.  Now  he  chuckled  with  the 
new  delight,  and  now  he  toyed  with  his  spear,  till 
his  bosom  rose  and  fell,  as  he  thought  of  the  havoo 
he  would  make  with  it. 


Chapter   tije    0i*th. 


T  dawn  the  Giant  rushed  forth  to 
seek  his  royal  enemy,  but  Aleph 
was  at  the  wars ;  so,  finding  he 
could  not  wreak  his  vengeance 
[on  the  object  of  his  hatred,  he 
wreaked  it  on  all  that  belonged 
or  were  dear  to  him. 

By  day  he  waylaid  the  King — by  night  he  de- 
stroyed the  Prince's  horses  and  slew  his  hounds. 

Soon,  Huan's  deeds  became   the  terror  of  the 

neighborhood,  and  men  feared  to  walk  abroad  after 

sunset,  or  to  traverse  the  woods  alone  at  any  time. 

When  Ulphilas  heard  of  the  ravages  of  the  Giant, 

he  sent  out  an  armed  band  to  slay  him ;  but  they 

never  returned — and  that  night  the  ravages  of  the 

Giant  were  tenfold  what  they  had  heen  before. 

Another  and  another  band  went  out ;  but  Huan's 


44  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

monster  strength  prevailed  over  all — and  the  terror 
of  the  country  grew  greater  than  ever. 

Each  wound  only  made  the  Giant  more  and 
more  savage ;  and  he  was  forever  hunting  and 
being  hunted.  In  dread  of  snares  and  pitfalls,  he 
lived  a  life  of  suspicion,  and  walked  the  Earth  in 
fear ;  for  he  knew  that  what  Men  could  not  com- 
pass by  strength  they  would  by  stratagem. 

At  length,  one  night  he  heard  the  hum  of  dis- 
tant music,  and  songs  of  triumph  floating  on  the 
night- wind.  Angry  at  the  sounds  of  joy,  he  seized 
his  spear  and  sallied  from  the  cave. 

As  he  advanced,  he  saw  the  light  of  torches 
flicker  on  the  plain  beneath.  He  hurried  down, 
and,  putting  the  troop  to  flight,  carried  off  the 
favorite  mistress  of  the  Prince,  as  she  was  on  her 
way  to  welcome  the  victorious  Aleph  back  from  a 
fresh  conquest. 

Overjoyed  at  the  rich  prize  his  revenge  had  at 
length  obtained,  he  bore  his  fainting  prisoner  to  his 
cave.  As  he  secured  her  to  the  rock,  he  gloated 
over  the  feast  of  vengeance  he  would  have  on  the 
morrow,  and  thought  to  himself  how,  in  the  tor- 
ments of  Prince  Aleph's  darling,  he  would  break 
Prince  Aleph's  heart. 

When  he  had  bound  the  poor  girl  fast,  he  tore 
the  vail  from  her  face — and  staggered  back,  as  he 
discovered  in  the  favorite  mistress  of  his  enemy  his 
own  beautiful  and  beloved  sister  Anthy. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  45 

He  stood,  with  his  eyes  riveted  upon  her,  still 
and  silent  as  a  statue ;  and,  as  he  gazed  on  her 
pretty  face,  the  love  he  once  had  borne  her  curdled 
into  frantic  hate.  Bursting  with  rage  he  seized 
his  spear  as  if  to  kill  her — but  suddenly  he  threw 
it  from  him  with  a  savage  chuckle,  as  if  some  new 
cruelty  had  struck  him. 

Seating  himself  by  the  fire,  he  fixed  his  eyes  on 
the  trembling  girl ;  and,  as  he  ground  his  teeth,  he 
taunted  her  with  her  infamy,  calling  her  by  names 
that  made  her  shudder  as  she  heard  them. 

Presently,  he  rose,  and  plucked  the  jewels  one 
by  one  from  her  neck  and  arms,  and  crushed  them 
on  the  stone  with  his  heel.  Then  he  paced  back- 
ward and  forward  in  his  cave,  telling  her,  with 
horrid  glee,  how,  on  the  morrow,  he  would  go  forth 
and  seek  out  her  royal  dishonorer,  and  then  she 
should  see  her  love  slain  before  her  eyes. 

Thus  the  night  passed. 

Early  on  the  morrow,  the  restless  Huan  rushed 
forth  to  seek  the  Prince,  and  as  early  the  Prince 
rushed  forth  to  seek  the  Giant — for  Aleph  had 
sworn  an  oath  that  he,  single  handed,  would  avenge 
and  liberate  his  darling  mistress. 

But  when  the  valiant  youth  saw  the  Giant  he 
had  sworn  to  crush,  even  he — bold  as  he  was — 
quailed  before  the  awful  appearance  of  the  mon- 
ster. 

In  vain  did  Aleph  raise  his  skillful  sword  to  parry 


46  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

off  the  savage  thrusts  of  Huan's  spear.  In  a  mo- 
ment the  blade  shivered  like  glass  before  the  Giant's 
blows,  and  the  warrior  boy  of  Asulon  reeled  sense- 
less on  the  sward. 

Raising  the  stripling  in  his  arms,  Huan  hurried 
back  exulting  to  the  cave.  Then,  binding  Aleph 
face  to  face  with  her  he  had  come  to  save,  the 
Giant  stanched  the  wounds  of  the  bleeding  boy,  for 
fear  his  vengeance  should  be  balked. 

And,  when  he  saw  the  life  that  he  feared  had 
fled  before  his  vengeance  was  satisfied  come  back 
and  crimson  the  boy's  white  lips  again,  Huan's 
heart  leaped  within  him  for  very  joy ;  and  he  al- 
most shrieked  with  delight,  when  he  beheld  his 
victim  shudder  as  he  looked  around  him. 

Then,  how  the  monster  grinned  at  the  youth,  as 
he  ran  over  and  over  again  the  horrors  and  the 
torments  that  he  had  in  store  for  him  and  her  he 
loved  so  fondly.  Now,  he  would  dance  around 
them,  brandishing  his  spear.  Then  he  would  shake 
his  burly  fist  in  Aleph' s  face,  and  grind  his  huge 
teeth  close  in  front  of  him,  and,  afterward,  he 
would  smite  him  on  the  cheek  and  spit  upon  him. 
And,  as  he  saw  the  girl  grow  faint  for  want  of 
drink,  and  that  her  lips  were  parched  and  cracked 
with  thirst,  he  fetched  the  clearest  water  from  the 
wood,  and  showing  her  how  bright  it  was,  drank 
it  off  before  her  longing  eyes. 

As  the  day  drew  in,  he  roasted  dainty  forest  meat 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  47 

beside  them,  so  that  the  savory  perfumes  of  it 
might  madden  their  hunger  ;  and,  seating  himself 
between  them,  he  ate  of  it,  smacking  his  lips  the 
while  to  make  them  long  for  it  the  more. 

At  night,  exhausted  with  rage,  he  laid  himself 
down,  to  ponder  over  fresh  and  more  savage  cruel- 
ties ;  for  none  that  he  had  yet  devised  seemed 
savage  enough  to  him ;  until  at  last  he  grew  so 
greedy  for  their  lives,  that,  no  longer  able  to  put 
off  the  promised  treat,  he  started  up,  and,  seizing 
his  spear,  moved  toward  the  girl. 

The  sound  of  his  heavy  foot  roused  Anthy  from 
her  fitful  sleep.  Waking  up,  she  saw  the  lifted 
spear  of  the  Giant  ready  to  pierce  her  breast,  and 
raised  her  trembling  arms  to  stay  the  blow. 

Then  Huan  beheld  in  her  the  same  supplicating 
look — the  same  uplifted  hands — the  same  appeal 
for  mercy,  as  when  he  had  seen  her  stand  betwixt 
him  and  his  father's  blows. 

And  the  spear  dropped  harmlessly  by  his  side. 

Then,  as  his  head  fell  on  his  bosom,  he  felt  his 
former  love  for  her — the  only  friend  his  youth  had 
known — gush,  like  a  pent-up  stream,  into  his 
breast  again.  And,  as  his  nature  softened,  the 
Giant's  rage  dwindled  into  the  Cripple's  tenderness 
once  more,  and  all  his  little  sister's  kindnesses  stole, 
one  after  another,  back  to  his  mind. 

Turning  from  her,  lest  he  should  again  grow 
savage,  he  said  within  himself,  "  she  is  the  injured 


48  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

and  not  the  injurer !"  and  moved  toward  the 
Prince. 

But  the  kindly  spirit  had  set  in,  and  the  savage 
was  half-tamed.  Aleph  slept,  and  it  was  cowardly 
to  kill  a  sleeping  man ;  and,  if  he  woke  him  up  to 
kill  him,  Anthy  must  remain  forever  dishonored, 
while,  if  he  lived,  the  Prince  might  yet  blot  out  by 
marriage  the  stain  he  had  cast  upon  her.  Then, 
again,  it  was  not  the  royal  boy  who  was  to  blame 
for  the  wrongs  of  the  Cripple's  infancy,  but  she 
who  had  sold  his  birthright  to  the  King. 

In  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  he  snapt  their 
bonds  asunder,  and  bade  them  fly  while  he  was 
yet  human. 

But  the  astounded  Aleph,  frightened  at  the 
strange  manner  of  the  Giant,  stood  transfixed  to 
the  ground. 

Giving  them  a  lighted  brand,  Huan  entreated 
them  to  be  gone — gone  before  he  again  became 
the  savage. 

And,  when  they  had  gone,  a  holy  peace,  that  he 
had  never  known  before,  crept  over  his  heart,  and 
Huan  felt  calm  and  happy  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life.  He  remembered  that,  as  the  Cripple,  he  had 
at  least  got  some  little  pity  ;  and  thought  of  what 
a  life  of  strife  he  had  led  since  he  had  been  the 
Giant ;  and,  moreover,  how  the  Spirit  of  Revenge 
had  made  him  such  a  monster,  that  even  his  own 
sister  could  not  recognize  him. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  49 

Falling  on  his  knees,  he  thanked  Heaven  for  the 
blessed  feelings  it  had  given  him:  and,  bursting  into 
tears,  he  prayed  to  be  again  the  Cripple  that  he 
before  had  been. 

Softened  and  soothed  by  his  tears,  he  fell  insensi- 
bly asleep.  And,  as  the  calm  moonlight  shone 
upon  his  face,  it  showed  the  peaceful  smile  upon  his 
lips,  as  he  lay  profoundly  at  rest  on  his  brown  bed 
of  leaves. 

And  his  dreams  were  of  exceeding  comfort  to  his 
wearied  soul.  For  he  saw  a  light,  as  of  a  thou- 
sand meteors,  streaming  down  from  Heaven,  and. 
golden  clouds  resting  on  the  green  fields  and  piled 
one  above  another,  till  the  topmost  was  lost  in  the 
amazing  splendor  of  the  skies.  A  white-winged 
host  of  angels  stepped  down  from  cloud  to  cloud, 
chanting  to  the  music  of  their  silver  lutes  a  full- 
throated  hymn,  in  glory  of  the  kindly  act.  Then' 
as  a  thousand  clarions  trumpeted  his  praise,  the 
angels  moved  back  again  to  Heaven,  and,  mount- 
ing, beckoned,  and  bade  Huan  rise  and  follow 
them. 

Filled  with  a  holy  awe,  the  powerless  Huan  saw 
the  winged  host  melt  one  by  one  from  his  sight  in 
the  brightness  of  the  light  above.  As  the  last  one 
stood  on  the  topmost  cloud  of  all,  she  looked  back 
again,  and  once  more  beckoned  him  to  follow  her. 

As  she  turned  away  to  leave  him  forever,  the 
repentant  Giant  started  up — and,  waking,  found 
4 


50  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

himself  a  Dwarf,  instead  of  the  Cripple  he  had 
prayed  to  be. 

The  sun  was  up  and  the  jagged  sides  and  roof 
of  the  cave  sparkled  with  the  light-drops,  as  though 
studded  with  myriads  of  many-colored  gems.  And 
the  air  was  cool  with  the  rising  dew  and  fragrant 
with  the  breath  of  the  fields  ;  while  from  the  shady 
thickets  of  the  forest  without,  floated  the  soft  notes 
of  the  hezar  and  the  wood-pigeon,  crying,  "  Allah  ! 
Allah !" 

Huan,  for  the  first  time  since  his  birth,  felt  at 
peace  with  all  the  world. 

By  his  side  stood  the  Spirit  of  Kindness,  clad  in 
robes  of  heavenly  blue.  Her  wings  were  white  as 
May  blossoms,  and  in  her  bosom  nestled  a  wound- 
ed dove.  As  she  moved,  there  was  a  perfume  of 
crushed  flowers — like  bruised  spirits  breathing  bless- 
ings for  injuries. 

At  first  Huan  looked  with  suspicion  on  the  Spirit 
— fancying  she  had  come  there  not  from  any  love 
of  him,  but  for  some  cunning  purpose  of  her  own. 
But  she  gazed  upon  him  so  tenderly  from  out  her 
tearful  eyes,  and  smiled  upon  him  with  so  compas- 
sionate a  smile,  that  Huan's  heart  leapt  toward 
her.  He  would  have  fallen  down  and  worshiped 
her,  but  his  bosom  was  too  full  to  let  him  speak 
the  blessings  he  longed  to  pour  upon  her,  and  he 
felt  humbled,  as  if  in  the  presence  of  God. 

And  yet  she  looked  so  weak  and  gentle,  as  she 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  51 

leaned  for  support  upon  the  cross  she  bore,  that 
Huan  wondered  within  himself  how  she  could  have 
such  power  over  him. 

She  told  him  she  had  heard  his  prayer,  and 
pitying  him,  had  changed  the  unnatural  strength 
of  the  Giant  into  the  exceeding  weakness  of  the 
Dwarf.  Then,  turning  his  spear  into  an  olive- 
hranch,  she  bade  him  go  forth  her  servant,  and,  by 
the  very  might  of  his  weakness,  and  magic  of  its 
peaceful  power,  make  more  glorious  conquests  than 
with  the  weapons  of  war. 

But  Huan  feeling,  as  he  strove  to  rise,  how  fee- 
ble and  powerless  he  was,  had  little  faith  in  what 
the  Spirit  spake,  and  feared  to  take  the  proffered 
branch. 

Seeing  him  hesitate,  she  advanced  toward  him, 
and  strove  by  gentle  words  and  wise  precepts,  to 
strengthen  his  purpose.  And,  among  other  things, 
she  spake  this  parable  : — 

"  When  man  had  been  sent  from  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  to  till  the  ground  and  live  by  the  sweat  of 
his  brow,  the  Angels,  sorrowing  at  his  fall,  cried, 
'  Surely  he  will  perish,  for  there  is  no  animal  so 
defenseless  as  Man.' 

"  Then  Pity,  looking  down  from  Heaven,  grieved 
for  him,  saying,  '  Woe  to  the  race  of  Man  !  for  of 
all  God's  creatures  he  is  the  most  helpless  in  youth, 
the  most  imbecile  in  old  age  !' 

"  And  Justice,    complaining,    said,    '  Ay,    woe ! 


52  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

woe  to  his  race,  for  every  beast  of  the  field  God 
hath  clothed,  but  Man  He  hath  left  naked.  To 
every  beast  of  the  field  He  hath  given  some  weapon 
of  defense,  but  Man  He  hath  left  unarmed.  What 
shall  his  strength  avail  him  against  the  strength  of 
the  lion,  or  his  speed  against  the  speed  of  the  wolf?' 

"  Then  Reason  rose  up  and  said,  '  Grieve  not  for 
the  children  of  the  earth  ;  for  I  will  give  unto  them 
Cunning,  so  that  what  they  cannot  conquer  by 
force  they  shall  compass  by  stratagem.' 

"  So  Cunning  took  up  her  abode  among  men ; 
and  she  taught  them  to  fashion  the  trees  of  the 
forest  into  clubs,  wherewith  to  repel  their  enemies. 

"  But  soon  Man,  made  wroth  by  envy,  quarrel- 
ed with  his  kind,  and,  turning  the  club  against  his 
kinsman,  slew  his  younger  brother. 

"  And,  when  the  Angels  saw  the  first  blow  struck, 
they  sorrowed  more  bitterly  than  before,  saying, 
'  We  armed"  him  against  the  beasts  of  the  field,  but 
he  hath  raised  the  weapon  in  anger  against  his 
kindred.  And,  since  Man  wars  with  Man,  we 
must  protect  the  weak  against  the  strong,  so  that, 
blow  following  blow,  the  strong,  in  fear,  may  cease 
to  oppress  the  weak.' 

"  Then  Vengance,  spear  in  hand,  came  down  on 
Earth,  and,  arming  the  oppressed  against  their 
oppressors,  bade  them  rise  and  give  back  tenfold 
the  blows  that  had  been  dealt  out  to  them. 

"  So  the  Injured  slew  their  Injurers. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  53 

"  Then  the  sons  of  those  that  had  been  slain,  in 
their  turn,  rose  up,  and,  giving  back  again  tenfold 
the  blows,  destroyed  the  slayers  and  their  children  too. 

"  At  length,  blow  begat  blow  so  fast,  that  tribe 
warred  with  tribe,  and  nation  battled  with  nation. 

"  And  then  Peace,  affrighted,  fled  back  to  Heaven, 
leaving  Strife  and  Ruin  to  ravage  all  the  Earth. 

"  The  angels  heard  the  clatter  of  the  fray,  and 
took  counsel  among  themselves,  saying,  'Verily, 
the  world  will  never  be  at  rest.  For  since  Man 
hath  learned  to  meet  blow  with  blow,  and  to  have 
blood  for  blood,  the  circle  of  destruction  must  be 
endless.  Oh,  for  some  almighty  weapon  to  stay 
this  universal  feud  !' 

"  So  they  all  pondered  on  the  means,  and  each 
Angel,  in  her  turn,  named  som  engine  more  fright- 
ful than  the  rest,  wherewith  to  rain  such  certain 
death  on  all  around,  that  men,  fearing  to  face  it, 
should  cease  to  battle. 

"At  last,  there  remained  but  one  to  speak,  and 
the  angel-band  turned  anxiously  to  her.  '  You 
seek  some  new  weapon,'  she  said,  '  to  check  the 
wrath  of  Man — some  weapon  to  give  back  so  pow- 
erful a  blow,  that  men,  however  brave,  shall  lack 
the  courage  to  stand  up  against  it.  There  is  one 
so  mighty,  that  those  you  have  named  shall  be 
weak  as  reeds  to  it — one  so  certain  that  the 
boldest  shall  be  cowed  and  the  strongest  be  dis- 
armed by  its  power '' 


54  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

"  And  the  Angels  wondered  among  themselves, 
and,  cried  with  one  voice,  '  Thanks  be  to  God ! 
Thanks  be  to  God  !  name  it !  name  it !' 

"  Let  Man,'  she  answered,  '  avenge  his  wrongs 
with  a  kiss,  and  he  shall  find  it  a  mightier  weapon 
than  the  blow.' " 

And  it  was  the  Spirit  of  Kindness  that  spake 
the  words. 

Falling  on  his  knees,  Huan  thanked  the  Spirit 
for  his  altered  nature,  and,  taking  the  proffered 
branch  of  peace,  vowed  never  again  to  raise  his 
hand  against  his  erring  brother. 

As  he  knelt  before  her,  the  Spirit  blessed  him ; 
and,  while  she  spake  the  kindly  words,  the  sun 
shone  full  upon  her,  and,  melting  in  the  light,  she 
vanished  from  the  cave. 


LIVE  branch  in  hand,  Huan  sal- 
lied into  the  forest.  As  he  looked 
down  the  long  groves  of  trees, 
arched  like  leafy  cloisters  high 
above  his  head,  the  holy  peaceful- 
ness  of  the  place  entered  his  heart, 
and  made  him  tranquil  as  the  woods  around. 

Charmed  with  the  scene,  he  paused,  as  he  saw 
the  long  black  shadows  of  the  stems  of  the  palm 
and  the  cedar  streaking  the  green  grass,  while  the 
sunbeams  trickled  through  the  leaves  above,  and 
sprinkled  the  Earth  with  an  almost  liquid  light. 

Then,  as  he  moved  on  again,  the  perfume  of  the 
wild  flowers  that  he  crushed  beneath  his  feet  filled 
the  air  with  incense  ;  and,  remembering  how  often 
he  had  trod  that  same  path  before,  and  seen  it  only 
as  a  place  of  gloom,  Huan  wondered  how  "the 


56  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

beauty  which  encompassed  him  on  every  side — 
hanging  on  every  branch  and  sparkling  on  every 
blade — could  have  been  so  long  lost  to  him ;  and 
it  pained  him,  as  he  thought  of  the  days  upon  days 
that  he  had  lived  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  yet  lived 
almost  as  blind  to  it  as  if — instead  of  the  fair  earth 
and  glorious  sky — he  had  been  the  tenant  of  a 
dungeon." 

And  he  sat  down  in  the  shade  so  that  the  silent 
beauty  of  the  wood  might  sink  the  deeper  into  his 
soul. 

In  a  moment,  his  heart  wandered  back  to  home, 
and,  as  he  thought  of  his  fallen  sister,  his  long 
dried-up  tears  streamed  forth  once  more.  And  he 
vowed  within  himself  that  she  should  be  the  first 
on  whom  he  would  try  the  magic  of  his  power. 
Ay !  he  would  seek  Anthy  out,  and,  by  his  gentle 
counsels  and  loving  care,  win  her  back  to  the 
sunny  path  she  had  strayed  from.  He  would  talk 
to  her,  not  of  the  dark  and  loathsome  past,  but  of 
the  bright  and  blessed  future,  telling  her  how  the 
tears  of  repentance  were  the  waters  of  the  fountain 
of  life.  Not  a  harsh  word  would  he  say  to  her, 
but,  remembering  how  severely  Heaven  had  tried 
her  with  her  beauty,  he  would  pity  her  for  the 
lovely  curse  that  had  been  put  upon  her,  and  so 
renew  her  heart,  that  she  lookin^j^Jifijself  through 
her  tears  should  hate  the  gift  that  once  a  Prince 
had  prized. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  57 

So  he  rose  up,  resolving  to  go  seek  his  mother, 
and  learn  from  her  where  Anthy  dwelt. 

As  he  journeyed  homeward  all  the  sufferings  of 
his  youth  rose  up  one  by  one  to  his  mind ;  and,  re- 
membering that  his  Father  had  left  him — a  Crip- 
ple— to  perish  in  the  woods,  he  thought  how  the 
old  man's  conscience  would  smite  him,  when  he 
saw  his  boy  still  living,  and  how  bitterly  he  would 
reproach  himself  when  he  heard  that  boy  forgive 
him. 

Suddenly,  a  distant  moan  murmured  through 
the  forest.  Huan  paused  to  listen  to  it. 

Again  and  again  the  groans  echoed  through  the 
woods,  following  one  another  so  quickly  and  so 
sadly,  that  Huan,  fired  with  the  glory  of  his  mis- 
sion, hurried  in  the  direction  whence  they  came. 

As  he  forced  his  way  past  the  tangled  briers  and 
waded  through  the  long  rank  grass,  the  cries  grew 
so  loud  and  deep,  that  Huan  knew  it  was  no 
human  being  that  suffered. 

He  stopped  for  a  moment,  fearing  to  advance. 

But  the  sounds  were  so  full  of  anguish,  and  so 
free  from  rage,  that  compassion  got  the  better  of 
his  fear,  and,  hurrying  on  again,  at  length  he 
reached  a  low  bushy  spot,  where,  stretched  among 
the  tall  mat-rushes,  lay  a  huge  black-maned  lion, 
powerless  with  pain. 

When  Huan  saw  the  monster,  and  heard  its 
roar,  his  heart  sank  within  him,  and  he  drew  back 


58  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

with  fright.  Still  it  looked  at  him  with  so  suppli- 
cating a  look,  and  cried  so  sorrowfully,  as  it  licked 
its  swollen  paw,  that  the  trembling  Huan,  gaining 
courage,  stepped  cautiously  toward  it.  As  he  did 
so,  the  suffering  beast  raised  the  wounded  limb,  as 
if  to  ask  for  aid ;  and  as  Huan  stooped  timidly  to 
see  what  ailed  it,  the  Lion  licked  his  hand  in 
gratitude. 

So,  shaking  off  his  fear,  Huan  laid  the  heavy 
foot  upon  his  knee,  and  pressing  the  festered  ball, 
drew  from  out  it  a  thorn ;  after  which,  he  placed 
herbs  upon  it,  and  bound  it  up  with  part  of  his 
raiment. 

Then  the  joy  of  the  poor  brute,  freed  from  the 
anguish  of  the  thorn,  knew  no  limit. 

Now  it  crouched  before  him  and  fawned  at  his 
feet,  and  now  it  rolled  in  the  rushes,  turning  up  its 
white  stomach,  as  if  entreating  to  be  fondled  by 
him.  And,  as  Huan  patted  his  dusky  sides,  it 
whined  out  its  thanks,  till  the  wood  rang  again 
with  its  noisy  gratitude. 

Huan  was  moved  almost  to  tears  with  the  affec- 
tion his  compassion  had  begotten  in  the  brute, -and 
cried,  "  If  the  beasts  of  the  field  can  be  thus  con- 
quered by  kindness,  what  Miracles  shall  it  not  work 
in  Man !" 


th.e    <JHgl)lI). 


S  Huan  neared  the  spot  where 
his  father's  house  had  stood,  a 
roofless  tenement  was  all  that 
met  his  sight.  The  once  white 
walls  were  here  green  with  moss- 
es, and  there  blue  with  mildew ; 
and  in  and  out  of  the  dark  openings  where  the 
windows  had  been,  the  swallows  skimmed,  twitter- 
ing to  their  young.  The  doorstep,  on  which  he 
had  so  often  sat,  basking  in  the  sun,  was  almost 
hidden  in  the  tall,  rank  weeds  around  it. 

And,  when  he  entered,  he  found  the  half-burnt 
logs  that  still  remained  upon  the  hearth  gray,  as  if 
with  age,  from  the  lichens  and  the  beard  moss  that 
had  grown  upon  them  ;  while  the  earthen  floor  was 
black  and  sodden  with  the  wet,  and  dotted  with 
many  a  fungus. 


60  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

As  he  looked  into  the  room  where  his  mother 
was  wont  to  sleep,  an  owl,  scared  from  its  resting- 
place,  flew,  screeching,  past  him  ;  and  Huan 
hurried  back  to  the  fields  again,  for,  though  the 
place  had  hardly  been  a  home  to  him,  still  he 
could  not  help  loving  the  spot  for  Anthy  and  the 
sunshine  that  had  comforted  him  there. 

It  was  in  vain  he  asked  at  the  nearest  cottage 
for  tidings  of  his  sister  and  his  parents  ;  for  Ergas- 
tor's  house  was  so  far  away  from  all  other  dwell- 
ings, that  the  distant  neighbors  knew  little  of  him. 

At  the  woodman's  near  the  forest,  they  told  him, 
"  the  Cripple  son  had  died  in  the  woods,  and  the 
pretty  daughter  had  gone  away  with  Prince  Aleph  ; 
and  all  they  knew  was,  that  shortly  afterward  the 
house  had  been  deserted." 

At  the  fisherman's,  beside  the  river,  he  learned 
that,  "  after  the  children  had  gone  the  laborer  and 
his  wife  had  never  prospered ;  and  that  Mustapha, 
the  traveling  barber,  had  told  them  '  they  had 
come  to  no  good  !'  though  what  that  meant  was 
more  than  they  could  say." 

So  Huan  resolved  to  seek  his  sister  at  the  palace 
of  Prince  Aleph,  and  set  out  toward  the  city. 

And,  when  he  had  journeyed  till  he  could  see  the 
domes  of  the  distant  Mosques  shining  in  the  sun 
like  bubbles  of  gold,  he  met  a  long  train  of  men — 
most  of  whom  were  blind — carrying  strings  of  a 
thousand  beads,  and  counting  them,  as  they  cried, 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  61 

"  There  is  no  Deity  but  God  !"  And  Huan, 
thinking  of  his  sister,  grew  sad,  for  he  knew  it  was 
a  sign  of  mourning. 

Further  on,  there  came  groups  of  women,  with 
their  head  and  face-vails  died  of  a  deep  blue,  their 
hair  unbraided,  and  their  hands  and  arms  stained 
with  indigo.  Some  shrieked  aloud  their  lamenta- 
tions, while  others  beat  their  tambourines,  crying, 
"  Alas  !  for  them  !  alas  !  alas  !  for  the  city  !" 
And  Huan,  wondering  what  their  wailing  meant, 
and  fearing  for  his  sister,  hurried  on  to  the  city  the 
quicker. 

Shortly  afterward  he  saw  advancing  bands  of 
pilgrims,  clad  in  coarse  woolen  garments,  of  sad 
colors,  reciting  passages  from  the  Koran,  and 
carrying  with  them  their  grave-clothes,  which  they 
sprinkled  as  they  went,  with  water  from  the  Holy 
Well  in  the  Temple  of  Mecca.  And,  as  they  passed 
Huan,  they  cried  out  to  him,  "  May  no  evil  befall 
thee  !  the  Angel  of  Death  hath  smitten  the  city  ! 
turn  thy  steps,  and  fly  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  !" 
But  Huan,  fearing  the  more  for  Anthy,  said  unto 
them,  "What  shall  become  of  the  afflicted,  if 
all  turn  from  them  ?"  and  still  went  on. 

As  he  advanced,  he  met  camels  and  mules,  and 
Mamelukes,  and  black  slaves  with  furniture,  and 
female  slaves,  and  light-bearers,  and  litters.  And 
after  them  came  King  Ulphilas  himself,  attended 
by  his  court,  and  surrounded  and  followed  by  mul- 


62  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

titudes  of  the  affrighted  merchants  and  citizens, 
chanting  prayers  for  the  dead,  and  carrying  with 
them  all  their  wealth ;  so  that  the  crowd  reached 
to  the  distant  gates  of  the  city. 

Still,  for  Anthy's  sake  he  journeyed  on. 

Now  Ulphilas,  when  he  saw  Huan  hastening  to 
the  capital,  while  all  others  were  flying  from  it, 
took  pity  on  him,  and,  thinking  him  a  stranger  in 
their  land,  sent  one  of  his  nobles  to  warn  him  that 
a  pestilence  had  broken  out  in  the  city. 

But  the  courtier  soon  returned  to  Ulphilas,  and 
told  him  his  pity  was  wasted  on  the  man,  for  that 
he  was  a  fanatic,  and  would  not  listen  to  his  coun- 
sels, but  had  said,  "  What  shall  become  of  the 
afflicted,  if  ye  all  turn  from  them  ?" 

And,  as  Huan  neared  the  city,  he  found  the 
mounds  of  rubbish  round  its  walls  covered  with 
the  carcasses  of  horses  and  mules ;  and,  when  he 
had  reached  the  gates,  he  could  not  enter,  for  the 
funerals  that  streamed  through  them. 

And  the  dead  were  of  all  ranks !  Now  there 
passed  him  the  bodies  of  the  poor,  in  grave-cloth- 
ing of  cotton,  and  carried  upon  cords  interwoven 
between  two  poles ;  and  then  came  those  of  the 
merchants  and  men  of  wealth,  wrapped  in  Cash- 
mere shawls  of  green  and  white — some  preceded 
by  camels,  bearing  bread  and  water,  to  be  given  to 
the  hungry  at  their  graves — and  others,  by  buffa- 
loes, to  be  sacrificed  on  their  tombs,  and  the  flesh 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  63 

distributed  in  charity,  as  a  peace-making  with 
God. 

And,  when  at  last  the  stream  of  death  ceased 
for  a  moment,  and  Huan  sought  to  enter,  the  gate- 
keepers warned  him  back,  and  bade  him  fly  with 
the  rest.  But  again  he  only  answered,  "  What 
shall  become  of  the  afflicted,  if  all  turn  from 
them  ?"  and  still  moved  on,  to  seek  his  sister  at 
the  palace  of  the  Prince. 

As  Huan  hurried  through  the  streets,  every 
house  he  passed  gave  him  some  new  and  ghastly 
proof  of  the  terrors  of  the  pest  that  was  ravaging 
the  city.  Scarce  a  door  but  it  was  painted  blue, 
as  a  sign  of  death  within  ;  and  on  those  thus  color- 
ed heavy  locks  and  the  seal  of  the  chief  magistrate 
were  set,  while  watchmen,  staff'  in  hand,  stood  in 
front,  so  that  none  might  enter  or  leave  the  infect- 
ed dwellings.  On  the  closed  shutters  of  some  of 
these  was  chalked,  "  O,  misery.'"  while  from  the 
windows  of  others  hung  placards,  on  which  were 
written,  "  We  all  stiall  die  !  Woe  !  Woe  .'"  Over 
some  of  the  doors  that  still  stood  open,  was  in- 
scribed a  verse  from  the  Koran,  and  underneath 
it'  in  large  letters,  "HERE  LIVETH  A  TELLER  OF 
DESTINIES  !"  And,  further  on,  he  came  to  the 
house  of  one  who  sold  "NEVER-FAILING  HERBS 
AND  POTIONS  TO  CURE  THE  PEST."  At  the 
door  of  this  one  stood  a  woman  weeping  aloud 
and  wringing  her  hands  as  she  cried,  "  Haste  ! 


64  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

haste,  or  my  child  will  die!"  But  a  neighboring 
watchman  bade  her  be  gone,  saying,  the  Doctor 
and  all  were  dead  within. 

And,  when  he  reached  the  market-streets,  he 
found  the  bread-shops  alone  open — for  men  feared 
to  buy  and  sell  beyond  what  was  required  to  support 
life  ;  and  even  then  they  would  not  receive  the 
food  from  the  dealer's  hands,  but  would  take  it 
down  themselves  ;  nor  would  the  dealer  accept  the 
money  from  their  hands,  but  bade  them  drop  it  in 
ajar  of  vinegar. 

At  each  end  of  the  several  markets  there  blazed 
huge  fires,  some  of  pitch  and  sulphur,  and  others 
of  benjamin ;  so  that  the  atmosphere  around  was 
filled  with  the  odor  of  them.  And  the  few  people 
that  dared  to  venture  abroad,  carried  scents  and 
perfumes  in  their  hands,  and,  when  they  met  one 
another,  would  cross  the  road  for  dread  of  the  con- 
tagion. 

As  Huan  hastened  through  the  silk-market,  a 
half-naked  man,  made  frantic  by  his  fears,  rushed 
by,  shouting,  amidst  the  terrible  stillness,  "  O,  the 
great  and  dreadful  God  !  repent  ye  and  prepare  /" 
While,  in  the  perfume-market,  as  he  passed  along, 
people  might  be  heard  in  their  houses,  calling  upon 
God  for  mercy  and  confessing  their  sins  aloud,  say- 
ing, "  I  have  been  an  adulterer  !"  "  I  have  been  a 
thief!" 

In  the  money-changers'-market  there  lay  a  heavy 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  65 

purse  in  the  middle  of  the  road ;  and  at  the  win- 
dow of  the  house  opposite  sat  a  Jew,  looking  stead- 
fastly at  it,  but  fearing,  for  his  life,  to  touch  it. 

Presently,  as  he  went  along,  sorrowing,  lest  he 
should  have  come  too  late  to  comfort  his  erring 
sister,  a  window  was  thrown  suddenly  open,  and  a 
woman  shrieked  above  his  head,  "  O  Death ! 
Death!  Death!'''  The  blood  curdled  in  Huan's 
veins ;  and  he  sought  to  enter  the  house,  but  the 
watchmen  pushed  him  from  the  door,  saying, 
"  Fool !  wouldst  thou  die,  too  ?" 

Shortly  after  this,  the  door  of  the  house  of  a  rich 
merchant  was  burst  open,  and  a  gray-headed  man, 
pocked  all  over  with  the  pest,  rushed,  mad  with 
the  fever,  from  his  bed  into  the  street,  dancing,  and 
laughing,  and  singing,  and  making  a  thousand  antic 
gestures ;  and  after  him  ran  his  weeping  wife  and 
screaming  children,  crying  and  calling  upon  him, 
for  the  Lord's  sake  to  come  back  to  them ;  and 
entreating  those  around  to  help  them  get  him  to  his 
bed  again.  As  Huan  strove  to  follow  and  assist 
them,  the  watchmen  appointed  to  stop  the  spread- 
ing of  the  disease,  held  him  back  ;  bidding  him  go 
to  Mosque,  if  he  wished  to  comfort  the  afflicted,  for 
the  Dervishes  were  either  dead  or  had  fled  in 
fright,  and  the  people  cried  aloud  for  consolation. 

So  Huan,  hoping  Anthy  might  have  sought 
refuge  in  the  temple,  bent  his  way  thither;  and, 
when  he  had  reached  the  porch,  he  found  a  crowd 
-5 


66  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

gathered  outside  the  building.  In  the  midst  of 
them  stood  a  woman,  pointing  to  the  clouds ;  and, 
as  she  did  so,  she  cried,  "  See  yonder,  an  angel, 
clothed  in  white ;  in  his  hand  is  a  fiery  sword ! 
see,  see,  he  brandishes  it  over  his  head,  and  now 
points  with  it  to  the  city !"  And,  though  there  was 
nothing  there,  still  the  staring  people  saw  it  plain- 
ly, and  some  cried,  "  Yes,  there  is  his  sword  of  fire  !" 
and  others,  "  He  hath  a  face  of  glory !"  and  others, 
"  It  is  a  token  of  God's  anger  !" 

But  Huan,  pitying  their  superstitious  fears,  pass- 
ed on  and  entered  the  Mosque. 

It  was  crowded  with  the  devout  and  the  house- 
less— with  those  that  came  to  pray,  and  those  that 
lived  there  and  slept  upon  the  matting  that  cover- 
ed the  paved  floor — and  they  all  cried,  as  if  with 
one  voice,  "  Save  us,  O  Lord  God,  the  merciful,  the 
compassionate!  save  us  from  this  thy  just  wrath!" 

Now,  when  Huan  heard  the  people  say  it  was 
God  the  merciful,  the  compassionate,  who  had  sent 
the  pest  among  them,  he  could  keep  his  peace  no 
longer,  but  moved  toward  the  deserted  altar.  Arid 
the  people  taking  him  for  a  Welee,  or  favourite  of 
God,  crowded  round  him,  and,  kneeling,  besought 
him  frantically  for  his  blessing,  crying,  "  Save  us  ! 
O  save  us,  from  this  the  just  wrath  of  God  !" 

But  Huan  rebuked  them,  saying,  "Ye  know  not 
what  ye  speak!  ye  utter  blasphemies  instead  of 
prayers  !"  and  then  he  recited  this  Parable  : 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  67 

"  A  certain  city  was  infested  by  a  mighty  ser- 
pent ;  the  breath  of  it  was  poison  and  its  fangs 
were  the  fangs  of  death.  Whomsoever  it  fastened 
upon  went  mad  with  the  venom,  and  died. 

"  So  men  feared  to  go  abroad,  lest  their  enemy 
should  strike  them,  for  so  subtle  was  the  serpent, 
that  none  knew  where  it  lurked,  and  it  smote  men 
unawares.  Even  those  that  barred  their  doors 
against  it,  and  set  a  watch  to  keep  it  from  them, 
would  wake  and  find  their  little  ones  carried  off  by 
it  as  they  slept,  while  they  themselves  ere  long 
would  fall  a  prey  to  it.  And  none  were  safe,  for, 
guard  their  houses  as  they  would,  still  the  subtle 
serpent  would  creep  in,  and  destroy  all  who  dwelt 
there. 

"  At  last,  men,  dreading  the  monster,  got  to 
worship  it,  saying,  '  It  is  no  creature  of  the  earth, 
for  its  vengeance  is  terrible ;  and  it  moveth  from 
place  to  place  mysteriously  as  a  God.' 

"  So,  thinking  it  sent  from  Heaven  as  a  scourge 
for  their  sins,  they  prayed  the  Lord  that  He  would 
remove  the  visitation  from  them,  saying, '  It  cometh 
from  God,  and  is  not  born  of  Earth  !"  Arid  so 
they  cried,  until  scarce  a  house  remained  unsmit- 
ten. 

"  But  at  length  their  eyes  were  opened  ;  for,  af- 
ter all  their  prayers  and  fastings,  they  found  the  eggs 
of  the  serpent  were  hatched  in  the  muckheaps  that 
surrounded  their  own  dwellings. 


68  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

"And,  verily,  the  poisonous  pest  sprang  not  from 
the  all-good  God,  but  from  the  filth  and  corruption 
of  the  city." 

Now,  when  the  people  heard  Huan  preach  these 
things  from  the  altar,  they  rose  up  against  him, 
saying,  "He  scoffs  at  the  wrath  of  Heaven!  If  he 
stay  among  us,  he  will  draw  down  the  vengeance 
of  the  Lord  on  our  heads  as  well  as  his  own  !" 

So  they  drove  him  from  the  temple. 

Then  Huan  hurried  on  to  the  palace  of  Prince 
Aleph,  hoping  that  he  might  find  his  sister  there, 
still  unscathed. 

When  he  reached  it  he  found  the  guards  fled, 
and  the  gates  wide  open.  He  clapped  his  hands, 
to  summon  the  door  keeper,  but  no  one  came. 
Again  he  clapped  his  hands,  till  the  silent  halls 
echoed  with  the  noise — and  still  no  one  came  in 
answer  to  him. 

So  he  entered,  and,  as  he  walked  along  the  de- 
serted corridors,  not  a  soul  did  he  see  or  hear ;  and 
in  some  of  the  chambers  were  chests  filled  with 
brocades  of  many-colored  silks,  and  shawls  of  ex- 
ceeding value,  and  drinking  cups  of  the  precious 
metals,  and  saucers  of  crystal,  and  yet  no  one  staid 
to  guard  them ;  in  others  were  coffers  of  red  gold 
and  white  silver,  stored  with  pearls  arid  jacinths, 
and  precious  minerals ;  while  one  closet  whose 
door  was  open,  was  filled  with  suits  of  Davidean 
mail,  and  gilded  helmets,  and  Indian  swords,  and 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  69 

other  instruments  of  war.  And,  though  the  gates, 
the  coffers,  and  the  chests  were  open,  still  no  man 
dared  to  enter  or  remain  within  the  palace  walls, 
for  fear  of  the  contagion. 

Wondering  within  himself,  what  could  have  be- 
fallen his  sister,  Huan  hastened  into  the  thickest 
of  the  disease,  for  he  said,  "  If  she  be  smitten 
with  the  pest,  I  may  yet  have  time  to  comfort 
her  !" 

Wherever  he  went  he  found  the  sick  left  to  die 
alone  excepting  where  some  kind  friend,  who  had 
survived  the  pest,  was  tending  the  last  moments  of 
his  suffering  neighbor ;  and  then  the  deep  scars  and 
pits  that  the  pestilence  had  left  on  the  face  of  the 
survivor,  and  the  ulcerous  sores  that  covered  the 
countenance  of  the  sufferer,  told  how  fearful  an 
affliction  it  was. 

In  one  house,  he  found  a  man  holding  in  his 
arms  the  dead  body  of  his  young  wife,  and  so  over- 
whelmed with  grief,  that,  though  Huan  strove  to 
comfort  him  and  lead  him  thence,  he  would  not 
listen  to  him,  but,  still  clinging  to  the  corpse,  died 
heart-broken  before  the  night  was  out. 

In  another  dwelling,  a  child  was  brought  home 
from  its  nurse,  who  had  died  of  the  pest ;  and  yet 
the  tender  mother  would  not  refuse  to  take  in  the 
babe,  and  though  its  little  head  and  hands  were 
swollen  with  the  infection,  and  the  purple  tokens 
of  death  were  on  it,  still  she  laid  it  in  her  bosom 


70  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

and  nursed  it  till  it  died — and  then  (kind  soul !) 
she  died  too. 

When  Huan  saw  these  things,  he  wept  and 
prayed  to  the  blessed  Spirit  of  Kindness  that  she 
would  teach  him  how  to  stay  the  ravages  of  the 
pestilence.  And  immediately  his  eyes  were  open- 
ed, and  he  saw  as  in  a  vision  the  means  whereby 
to  shield  those  who  had  yet  escaped  from  it. 

Full  of  joy  he  hurried  back  to  the  Mosque  once 
more,  and  bade  those  that  had  fled  in  terror  there, 
go  home  again  and  tend  the  sick,  promising  them, 
if  they  would  put  faith  in  him,  he  would  make 
them  proof  against  the  infection. 

But  many  laughed  at  him,  while  some  cried  in 
anger,  "It  is  the  scoffer  again,  that  seeketh  to 
oppose  the  will  of  God." 

Others  longed,  but  feared  to  trust  his  words. 
But  Huan  entreated  them  so  earnestly  to  have 
faith  in  him,  that  the  laughing  ceased,  and  men, 
wavering,  looked  inquiringly  at  one  another.  Here 
knelt  one  who  had  a  suffering  wife  and  had 
come  to  pray  for  her  deliverance.  There  stood 
another  who  had  a  stricken  son  and  had  fled  in 
fear  from  him.  Here  was  a  girl  whose  aged  father 
lay  prostrate  with  the  pest,  and  there  a  woman 
whose  little  daughter  lay  moaning  with  the  mal- 
ady. 

These,  affliction  made  more  bold  and  desperate 
than  the  rest.  And  they  came  forward  and  sought 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  71 

the  magic  aid  of  the  dwarf,  saying,  "  We  have 
faith  in  thy  power." 

So  Huan  blessed  them,  and  touched  each  on  the 
right  arm ;  and  whosoever  came  under  his  touch 
had  a  mark  left  where  that  touch  had  been,  and  on 
them  the  pestilence  was  powerless. 

#  *  *  #  # 

When  the  new  miracle  was  spread  abroad,  a 
smile  of  joy  and  wonder  sat  on  every  man's  face. 
Those  who  before  had  crossed  over,  to  avoid  each 
other,  when  they  met  in  the  public  ways,  now 
stopped  to  shake  one  another  by  the  hand,  and  cry, 
"  God  bless  you  !"  And  in  the  narrow  market- 
streets  the  people  would  throw  open  their  windows, 
and,  calling  to  their  neighbors,  ask  "  how  they  did ;" 
and  if  they  "  had  heard  the  good  news  ?"  Some, 
in  return,  would  say,  "  What  good  news  ?"  And, 
when  they  were  answered  that  the  pestilence  was 
stayed,  they  would  cry  out,  "  GOD  BE  PRAISED  !" 
and  would  weep  aloud  for  joy,  blessing  them  for 
their  glad  tidings,  saying,  "they  had  heard  nothing 
of  it." 

On  the  morrow,  hundreds  flocked  to  the  Dwarf 
for  the  blessing  of  the  touch.  And  last  of  all  came 
those  who  were  skilled  in  medicine  ;  and  though 
they  had  scoffed  before,  they  now  sought  his  aid. 
To  these  Huan  gave  the  same  power  as  himself,  so 
that  the  pestilence  was  stayed,  and  the  whole  city 
rang  with  the  wonder  of  the  deed. 


72 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


But  Huan  was  sad  at  heart,  for  among  those 
that  flocked  to  him  to  be  protected  he  saw  not  not 
could  hear  of  his  sister  Anthy. 


OON  the  news  reached  the  King 
that  the  havoc  of  the  pestilence 
had  been  stayed  by  a  touch  of  a 
'Dwarf;  and  Ulphilas  dispatched 
messengers  with  presents  to  the 
man,  commanding  him  to  come 
and  touch  him  and  his. 

So  Huan  was  conducted  to  a  high  hill,  at  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  where  the  King  with  all  his 
court  was  encamped. 

When  the  Dwarf  reached  the  spot,  he  found 
large  fires  of  aloes- wood  and  scented  resins  burning 
at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  so  that  the  air  might 
be  purified  ere  it  reached  the  King.  And  the 
whole  multitude  were  engaged  in  prayer  and  fast- 
ing ;  for  Ulphilas  had  ordained  that  so  long  as  the 
scourge  was  on  the  city  no  man  should  eat  or  drink 
from  the  rising  to  the  setting  of  the  sun. 


74  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

As  Huan  mounted  the  sides  of  the  hill,  the  pray- 
ers that  the  Dervishes  chanted  for  the  dead  ceased, 
and  the  priests  and  nobles  came  out  to  meet  him, 
pouring  blessings  on  his  head,  and  beseeching  him 
for  the  grace  of  his  touch.  And,  as  he  gave  it 
to  them,  one  would  ask  him  how  this  man  had 
fared,  and  another,  whether  his  father  was  dead  or 
not ;  while  others,  who  had  all  their  kindred  with 
them,  would  seek  to  know  how  many  had  been 
destroyed. 

When  Huan  had  set  the  charm  upon  Ulphilas 
himself,  the  grateful  monarch  fell  at  his  feet,  and, 
kneeling,  bade  him  name  his  reward. 

The  Dwarf  told  him  he  worked  not  for  rewards  ; 
still,  for  the  sake  of  others,  there  was  one  that  he 
would  ask. 

And  the  grateful  King  cried,  "  Name  it !  name 
it !  were  it  half  my  kingdom,  thou  shouldst  have 
it!" 

Then  Huan  demanded  his  noblest  mansion  of 
the  King ;  and  the  courtiers  smiled  among  them- 
selves, saying,  "  What  can  he,  a  Dwarf,  want  with 
a  royal  dwelling." 

Huan  heard  the  whisperings  of  the  nobles,  and, 
turning  to  them,  said,  "Behold!"  and,  with  a 
wave  of  his  magic  branch,  the  Palace  of  the  King 
was  changed  into  an  Hospital  for  the  poor. 

Then,  as  the  multitude  gazed  with  wonder  at 
the  act,  and  looked  down  from  on  high,  they  beheld 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  75 

the  sick,  the  maimed  and  the  dying,  carried  from 
all  parts  into  the  royal  building.  And,  after  these, 
came  the  Doctors,  vieing  with  each  other  for  the 
honor  of  tending  the  poor  without  fee  or  reward. 

When  Ulphilas  saw  this,  his  delight  knew  no 
bounds ;  and,  as  he  wept  tears  of  joy,  he  cried, 
"  Go  on  with  thy  good  work  !  go  on  !  Choose  for 
the  poor  another  palace,  rather  than  the  sick  be 
without  a  resting  place  on  earth." 

Then  the  Nobles,  fired  with  the  glory  of  the 
deed,  in  their  turn,  gave  each  a  mansion  of  his 
own,  until  at  last  almost  every  ill  that  troubles 
Man  had  a  palace  set  aside  for  the  poor. 

There  were  gorgeous  homes  for  the  Mad,  the 
Blind,  the  Deaf  and  the  Dumb — the  Mother-in- 
labor,  and  the  Foundling — the  Widow  and  the 
Orphan.  And  the  Pauper,  the  Vagrant  and  the 
Wanton — the  virtuous  old  and  the  sinful  young, 
the  veteran  Soldier  and  the  worn  out  Sailor,  had 
each  their  palace  too  ;  till  the  city  bristled  and 
glittered  with  the  magnificence  of  the  buildings, 
and  the  homes  of  the  suffering  poor  rivaled  in 
grandeur  the  homes  of  the  monarch  himself. 

Nor  did  the  charity  cease  with  their  own  coun- 
trymen ;  for  the  alien  sick  had  noble  homes  set 
apart  for  them  likewise,  till  the  very  ships  of  war 
that  had  been  created  to  destroy  the  people  of  other 
lands  were  given  up  to  save  or  comfort  them  in 
their  last  moments. 


76  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

And  the  kindness  that  had  been  shown  to  the 
children  of  other  nations,  the  children  of  other 
nations,  in  their  turn  showed  to  them.  For,  when 
the  bounty  of  the  kingdom  had  been  exhausted,  so 
that  the  last  hospital  stood  half-raised,  and  Kind- 
ness called  in  vain  upon  the  people  to  finish  the 
home  of  their  wasting  children,  a  sweet-voiced  bird 
from  other  lands  poured  forth  her  song,  and,  as  the 
heavens  rang  with  her  melody,  the  building  rose 
and  rose,  till  it  grew  to  be  the  noblest  of  all  the 
noble  monuments  of  love  and  kindness  that  graced 
the  city. 


HEN  Huan  returned  to  the 
city,  multitudes  flocked  out  to 
meet  him,  kissinjj  the  ground 
before  him,  and  crying,  "  God 
speed  the  worker  of  Good  !" 
And,  while  the  King  ad- 
vanced with  scarce  a  follower  in  his  train,  Huan 
could  not  proceed  for  the  thousands  that  gathered 
round  him.  And,  as  he  heard  the  blessings  of  the 
people  raining  on  his  head,  he  wondered  within 
himself  how  he,  a  Dwarf,  armed  with  a  simple 
Olive-branch,  should  have  gained  more  power  over 
men  than  Ulphilas  with  all  his  host. 

When  he  was  alone  in  his  chamber,  he  thanked 
the  holy  Spirit  of  Kindness  for  the  change  she  had 
wrought  in  him,  and  vowed  never  to  rest  so  long  as 
pain  arid  want  were  in  the  world,  or  Man  was  at 
enmity  with  Man. 


78  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

So  Huan  went  about,  comforting  the  poor  and 
tending  the  sick,  until  each  day  the  people  got  to 
love  him  more  and  more,  and  to  call  him  the 
"Noble  Worker  of  Good." 

Now  it  chanced  one  morning,  as  Huan  visited  the 
hospital,  he  noticed,  while  all  the  sufferers  he 
passed  had  some  gentle  friend  to  smooth  their 
pillow  and  ease  their  pain,  still  there  was  one  poor, 
stricken  thing  whose  bedside  was  deserted  ;  and, 
though  she  lay  gasping  with  the  fire  of  the  fever, 
there  was  no  one  near  to  raise  the  cool  cup  to  her 
burning  lips. 

Filled  with  pity  for  her  loneliness,  he  asked  of 
those  around  the  name  and  history  of  the  sufferer, 
but  none  could  tell  him  who  or  what  she  was,  for 
they  said  she  had  refused  to  answer  all  their  ques- 
tionings. 

At  first,  Huan  thought  it  might  be  his  sister 
Anthy,  who,  ashamed  of  the  name  she  bore,  had 
sought  to  keep  her  misery  secret  from  the  world. 
But  he  remembered  that  Anthy  was  the  favorite 
of  the  Prince,  and  Aleph,  he  said,  would  never 
leave  her,  for  whom  he  had  once  risked  his  life,  to 
die  alone  in  such  a  place.  And  when  Huan  sat 
himself  down  by  her  side,  and  looked  at  the  scarred 
and  riddled  face  of  the  girl,  his  heart  beat  again, 
for  he  felt  sure  she  could  not  be  the  pretty  Anthy 
that  he  sought. 

But,  though  he  rejoiced  at  first  to  find  another 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  79 

stricken  in  his  sister's  place,  still,  as  he  looked 
at  the  poor  maid  a  second  time,  and  read  in  her 
sightless  eyes  how  bitterly  she  had  suffered,  his 
heart  bled  for  her,  and  he  vowed  that  he  would 
be  a  friend  and  brother  to  her  in  her  hour  of 
trouble. 

Huan  tended  her  so  kindly,  and  spoke  to  her  so 
gently  and  cheeringly,  that  the  girl  soon  got  to  love 
and  confide  in  him  ;  so  that,  as  she  grew  stronger, 
she  would  raise  herself  on  her  pillow,  arid,  turning 
her  sightless  eyes  toward  him,  as  he  sat  watching 
by  her  side,  would  tell  him  of  the  days  when  she 
was  happy,  and  had  found  a  friend  in  almost  all 
who  looked  upon  her.  And  she  would  wonder 
what  those,  who  used  to  call  her  "  the  bright- 
eyed"  then,  would  say,  if  they  could  see  her 
now.  Whereupon  she  would  vow  to  herself  that 
henceforth  she  would  be  as  altered  in  mind  as 
she  was  in  body,  so  that  none  might  recognize 
her. 

At  one  time  she  Would  thank  God  for  having 
taken  her  eyes  from  her,  saying  that,  "  when  she 
had  them,  she  had  used  them  only  to  look  upon 
herself,  until  she  got  to  think  she  was  the  fairest 
thing  in  all  creation  ;  whereas,  now  that  she  had 
lost  them  she  knew  she  was  the  foulest.  Then,  at 
another  time,  she  would  speak  to  Huan  of  her 
brother,  telling  him  how  her  father  had  so  hated 
him  for  his  deformity,  and  loved  her  for  her  beauty 


80  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

that  he  had  driven  his  poor  boy  from  his  house  and 
ruined  his  weak  girl  by  the  vanity  of  his  praises. 

So  Huan,  weighing  all  these  things  together, 
soon  got  to  know  that  the  poor,  disfigured  object  at 
whose  bedside  he  watched,  was  the  once-lovely 
Anthy,  who,  now  that  her  loveliness  had  passed 
away,  had  been  flung  aside  like  a  withered  flower, 
and  left  without  a  friend  to  care  whether  she  lived 
or  died. 

As  he  consoled  her.  he  drew  from  her,  little  by 
little,  the  story  of  all  her  sufferings. 

She  told  him  she  had  fallen  the  victim  of  her 
vanity  and  Aleph's  admiration ;  for  her  mother 
and  her  father,  proud  to  find  their  girl  loved  by  a 
Prince,  had  striven  to  fan  the  flame  their  child's 
beauty  had  kindled,  leaving  her  alone  with  Aleph 
to  listen  to  his  flattery ;  until  at  last,  she — blinded 
with  the  brilliance  of  the  lot  he  promised  should  be 
hers — had  left  her  humble  roof  for  his  splendid  home. 
And,  when  her  father  found  the  girl  that  he  had 
been  so  proud  of,  and,  to  increase  whose  beauty  he 
had  squandered  all  his  earnings,  had  fled  in  dis- 
honor from  his  care,  his  reason  left  him,  and  short- 
ly after  her  mother  died  of  grief. 

Then,  as  she  heard  Huan  weep  aloud,  she  bless- 
ed him  for  his  compassion,  and  went  on  to  tell  him 
that,  "  her  beauty  had  been  not  only  her  own  pest, 
but  the  pest  of  all  around.  For,  to  increase  the 
charms  she  had  been  cursed  with,  she  had  asked  of 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  81 

the  Prince — when  he  begged  her  to  name  some 
precious  gift  by  which  he  might  show  the  magni- 
tude of  his  love  for  her — a  shawl  of  many  colors 
from  the  far  Indies,  made  of  the  fine  wool  of  the 
goat  of  Thibet,  and  interwoven  with  red  gold  ;  and 
how  in  that  shawl  the  pestilence  had  been  brought 
into  the  city,  and  she  deprived  by  it  of  the  very 
charms  it  was  intended  to  enhance  ;  so  that 
Aleph's  love  had  turned  to  fear,  and  he  had  cast 
her  from  him,  cursing  her  as  a  witch." 

And  when  she  had  told  the  wretched  tale, 
Huan,  as  he  wept,  confessed  to  his  sister  who  he 
was,  and  consoled  her,  saying,  "he  would  be  ever 
near  to  guide  and  protect  her  in  her  darksome 
way ;  and,  now  that  she  was  blind,  she  should 
look  at  the  world  with  his  eyes,  and  find  in  it 
beauties  that  she  had  never  seen  before." 

Then,  as  she  ran  her  fingers  over  his  features, 
she  blessed  him,  as  she  kissed  his  hand  again  and 
again,  thanking  Heaven  for  the  hard  lesson  it  had 

taught  her. 

*  #  *  # 

As  Anthy's  health  came  slowly  back  again, 
Huan  would  find  her  sometimes  sorrowing  for  .the 
beauty  whose  loss  had  deprived  her  of  Aleph's  love. 
And  then  her  brother,  seeing  her  waver,  would  seek 
to  console  and  strengthen  her  in  the  purpose  of  her 
new  life,  telling  her  "  how  all  outward  beauty  was 
a  gorgeous  cheat,  unless  the  inner  part  were  beau- 


82  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

teous  too  ;"  and  how  "  the  love  which  mere  exter- 
nal excellence  begat  was  false  and  hollow  as  the 
beauty  which  begat  it."  But  that  which  moved 
the  frail  one  most,  was  the  story  he  told  her  of 
what  befell  the  pretty  Poppy. 

"  In  a  field  of  ripening  Corn  there  grew  a 
Poppy  ;  and,  while  the  homely  Corn,  dressed  in  its 
suit  of  sober  drab,  was  rough  and  plain,  the  Poppy 
put  forth  her  pretty  crimson  leaves  and  blossomed 
into  beauty.  And,  as  the  thriving  Corn  grew  tan- 
ned in  the  sun,  increasing  in  wealth  each  day,  the 
silly  Poppy  feared  to  show  her  face,  lest  the  scorch- 
ing rays  should  take  the  color  from  her  damask 
cheeks.  And,  when  the  autumn  came,  the  Corn, 
that  had  gathered  only  goodness  in  the  summer 
of  its  days,  bowed  down  its  head — for  the  fuller  its 
head  became  the  humbler  it  grew.  But  the  gaudy 
Poppy,  living  not  for  others,  and  thinking  only  of 
herself,  was  in  her  prime,  as  empty  headed  and 
proud  of  her  fine  leaves  as  in  the  spring-time  of  her 
life ;  so  that  every  lark  that  caroled  above  the 
field  she  thought  sang  only  the  praises  of  her 
charms,  flattering  herself  that,  while  she  was  there 
no  one  would  deign  to  look  with  favor  on  the  Corn. 

"  But  when  the  reapers  came,  they  passed  the 
vain  Poppy  by,  as  a  showy,  useless  thing,  leaving 
her  for  others  less  wise  than  themselves  to  pluck  for 
her  fickle  beauty.  Whereas,  they  took  the  Corn  to 
their  arms,  and,  bearing  it  home  with  feasting, 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


83 


treasured  it  up,  calling  it  the  life  of  their  life  ;  for, 
while  they  disregarded  the  rudeness  of  its  outer 
form,  they  prized  it  tenfold  for  its  inner  worth. 

"  But  one  weak,  giddy  youth,  smitten  with  the 
rosy  charms  of  the  Poppy,  took  her  for  her  pretty 
looks,  and  pressed  her  to  his  lips,  till  she  wept  for 
very  love  of  him.  Then,  as  he  kissed  away  her 
"  tears,"  the  poison  of  her  beauty  sank  deep  into 
his  soul  ',  and  laying  himself  down  beside  her,  he 
slept  away  the  days  in  helpless  sloth  ;  until  at  last, 
when  all  her  pretty  leaves  dropped  one  by  one 
away,  and  laid  bare  the  poison  that  her  loveliness 
had  hidden,  he  shook  off  his  dream,  and  flung  the 
withered  beauty  from  him  as  a  thing  for  men  to 
trample  under  foot." 


<S£h.apUr   tije 


HASTENED  by  the  kindly  doc- 
trines of  the  Dwarf,  Anthy,  as  she 
>\!i  listened  to  his  counsels,  grew  to 
reproach  herself,  and  to  excuse 
her  father,  as  the  cause  of  her  dis- 
honor. And  as  Huan  taught  her 
to  be  slow  to  condemn  and  quick  to  forgive,  telling 
her  that  "  Charity  sufiereth  long  and  thinketh  no 
evil,"  the  blind  girl  would  weep,  and  reproach  her- 
self saying,  "she  alone  was  to  blame,  for  it  was 
her  selfish  vanity  that  had  brought  all  the  evil  on 
their  house.  And  she  promised  him  that  her 
future  life  should  be  devoted  to  the  care  of  her 
father,  whose  reason  she  had  sacrificed.  And  she 
made  a  vow  that  she  would  know  no  rest  until  the 
old  man's  chains  were  taken  from  his  limbs. 

Then  the  Dwarf  blessed  her  for  the  new  faith 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  85 

he  had  begotten  in  her,  while  Anthy  urged  on  by 
his  blessings,  begged  of  him  to  lead  her  that  day  to 
the  Princess  Evoe,  so  that  she  might  seek  her  aid 
to  gain  her  father's  liberty. 

But  Huan,  fearing  to  find  a  sorry  welcome  for 
his  sister  there,  hesitated,  reminding  her  that  Evoe 
was  Aleph's  sister,  and  that  weak  woman  had  but 
little  charity  for  woman's  weakness. 

But  Anthy  told  him,  as  suffering  had  chastened 
her  heart,  so  had  it  softened  Evoe's,  for  the  sorrow- 
ing never  asked  the  Princess  for  her  help  in  vain. 
"  None  knew  the  kindness  of  the  King's  dumb 
daughter,  "she  said,  "so  well  as  she  did;  when  all 
others  had  spurned  her,  she  had  found  her  greatest 
friend  in  her  whom  she  had  expected  would  have 
proved  her  bitterest  enemy  ;  for  Evoe  in  her  good- 
ness, would  blame  Aleph,  and  pity  her,  seeking,  in 
her  written  counsels,  to  lead  her  back  to  virtue's 
ways,  and  bidding  him  if  he  loved  the  girl  who  had 
given  up  father,  mother,  home,  and  every  thing  for 
him,  at  least  to  cleanse  her  from  the  dishonor  he 
had  cast  upon  her — saying,  "  Love  sought  to  bene- 
fit and  not  to  injure." 

So  ehe  again  entreated  Huan  that  he  would  lead 
her  to  the  Princess,  telling  him  to  fear  not,  for  she 
knew  when  Evoe  found  that  suffering  had  wrought 
in  her  the  change  she  wished,  she  would  not  turn 
from  her  in  her  trouble. 

So  Huan,  thanking  in  his  heart  the  Dumb  Girl 


86  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

for  her  goodness,  led  his  sister  to  the  Palace,  as  she 
desired. 

As  he  entered  the  paved  court,  he  found  it  filled 
with  guards  and  Mamelukes,  ready  armed  and 
mounted  to  follow  the  Warrior-Prince  to  some  fresh 
conquest.  As  he  passed  along  their  ranks  each 
man  saluted  him — the  favorite  of  the  king.  Call- 
ing aside  one  whom  he  had  saved,  Huan  bade  him 
go  seek  for  him  an  interview  with  the  Princess. 

But  when  the  interview  was  granted,  and  the 
blind  Anthy  stood  before  the  Deaf-and-dumb  daugh- 
ter of  the  King,  she  remembered  for  the  first  time 
that  afflicted  as  they  both  were,  neither  possessed 
the  means  of  holding  communication  with  the 
other — and  all  her  hopes  vanished. 

And  Evoe,  in  her  turn,  when  she  beheld  the 
Blind  Girl  brought  into  her  presence,  knowing  her 
own  infirmity,  turned  to  Huan,  as  if  to  ask  what 
the  cruel  mockery  meant. 

Huan  saw  and  felt  the  misery  of  both;  and, 
when  he  heard  Anthy,  in  her  anguish,  cry,  "  O 
that  I  could  speak  with  her ! "  he  raised  his  eyes 
in  supplication  to  Heaven,  and  besought  his  guard- 
ian angel  to  take  pity  on  their  helplessness. 

Instantly,  the  Spirit  of  Kindness  gave  eyes  to 
the  fingers  of  the  one,  and  voice  to  the  fingers  of 
the  other — making  the  blind  to  see,  the  dumb  to 
speak,  and  the  deaf  to  hear. 

Then  the  grateful  Anthy  told  Evoe  who  she 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  87 

was,  while  the  Princess  shrank  back  with  horror, 
as  she  gazed  on  the  mangled  features  of  the  once- 
beauteous  girl.  The  tears  streamed  forth  in  pity 
for  her ;  and  she  hid  her  face  in  her  hands,  for  she 
could  not  bear  to  look  upon  her. 

As  she  wept,  Aleph  entered,  dressed  in  his  suit 
of  mail,  to  take  leave  of  his  sister  before  he  led  his 
troops  again  to  battle 

But  when  Evoe  saw  him,  she  turned  from  him 
in  anger,  and,  as  he  sought  her  blessing,  lest  he 
should  fall  in  the  wars,  she  motioned  him  away, 
asking  him  "How  she  could  pray  Heaven  have 
mercy  on  him,  when  he  had  shown  so  little  mercy 
to  others.  Then,  bidding  him  look  upon  the  poor 
disfigured  girl  before  him — hardly  more  blind  now 
than  his  false  love  had  made  her  scarce  a  month 
ago — she  bade  him  make  his  honor  good  at  home, 
before  he  sought  to  add  to  it  abroad." 

At  first  Aleph  could  scarce  believe  it  was  his 
once  loved  Anthy  that  knelt  at  his  sister's  feet ; 
but  when  he  heard  her  call  upon  him,  and  recog-- 
nized  her  voice,  his  anger  at  finding  his  rejected 
mistress  in  communion  with  his  sister  knew  no 
bounds. 

So,  without  a  word  in  answer  to  Evoe,  he  sum- 
moned his  guards,  and  bade  them  seize  the  blind 
girl  as  a  witch,  saying  it  was  she  who  had  invoked 
the  pestilence  upon  the  city  ;  and  ordered  she  should 
be  burnt  with  the  others  on  the  morrow. 


88  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

As  the  Mamelukes  rushed  into  the  chamber, 
Anthy  flew  to  her  brother,  crying,  "  Huan !  O, 
Huan  !  save  me  !  " 

When  Aleph  heard  the  name,  he  turned  round 
to  look  at  his  foster-brother,  and,  as  he  gazed  upon 
Huan's  stunted  form,  he  shuddered  to  think  that 
he,  a  Prince,  had  been  nourished  by  the  mother 
that  had  borne  a  Dwarf;  for  the  afflictions  which 
had  raised  the  pity  of  the  youth  now  only  served 
to  wound  the  pride  of  the  man. 

Huan  saw  the  Prince  gaze  with  scorn  upon 
him,  and  said,  as  he  clasped  his  blind  sister  to 
him,  "  Aleph,  thou  hast  robbed  me  of  my  strength  ; 
thou  hast  robbed  me  of  my  form ;  thou  didst  rob 
me  of  my  sister's  honor,  of  my  father's  reason, 
and  my  mother's  life  ;  and,  as  I  bear  thee  no 
malice,  why,  bear  thou  none  to  thy  blind  victim 
here  !" 

But  Aleph's  boyish  passion  for  the  girl  had 
ended  in  disgust ;  and,  even  had  she  been  as 
beauteous  as  when  she  first  had  won  his  heart,  his 
conscience  alone  would  have  made  her  seem  ugly 
to  him  ;  but,  marked  and  disfigured  as  she  was 
then,  she  was  something  more  than  he  could  bear 
to  look  upon.  Besides,  his  sister's  blessing  had 
been  denied  him  for  her  sake  ;  and  Huan's  words 
carried  so  sharp  a  sting  with  them,  that,  maddened 
with  anger  at  all  he  had  seen  and  heard,  he  bade 
the  guards  drag  the  girl  away,  and,  hurrying  from 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


89 


the  chamber,  soon  forgot  the  reproaches  of  his  sister 
and  his  conscience  in  the  cheers  and  blessings  of 
the  people. 


th.e 


S  Huan  beheld  the  guards  drag 
Anthy  from  him,  he  stood  gazing 
at  her,  following  her  with  his 
eyes  as  if  assured  that  he  was 
parting  with  her  forever;  for  he 
knew  that,  in  the  blind  supersti- 
tion of  the  nation,  witchcraft  was  a  crime  imputed 
with  so  much  ease,  and  repelled  with  so  much  dif- 
ficulty, that  the  powerful,  whenever  they  sought 
the  ruin  of  the  weak,  had  only  to  accuse  them  of  it 
to  insure  their  destruction  ;  while  so  rare  were  the 
gleams  of  mercy,  and  so  childish  was  the  credulity 
of  the  people,  that,  however  preposterous  the  accu- 
sations, thousands  were  condemned  to  death  where 
one  was  acquitted  of  the  charge. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  91 

So  he  threw  himself  at  Evoe's  feet,  and,  with 
clasped  hands  and  tearful  eyes,  besought  her  that 
she  would  intercede  with  her  royal  father  to  save 
his  sister's  life. 

"Have  mercy  on  her  !"  he  cried,  "have  mercy  on 
her,  or  assuredly  she  will  perish  ;  for,  how  can  she 
escape,  poor  girl !  when  it  is  the  law  says, '  She  must 
make  the  malice  of  her  prosecutors  more  clear  than 
the  sun !'  And  how  can  she  do  this  when  her  own 
denial — however  honest  and  however  earnest — will 
be  held  as  nothing  against  the  testimony  of  the 
wicked  or  crazy  creatures  that  may  be  brought 
against  her  !  O,  save  her,  save  her  !" 

But  Evoe,  feeling  how  little  hope  there  was  for 
Anthy,  scarce  liked  to  answer  Huan ;  for  she  knew 
that  on  such  a  mission  she  had  but  little  power 
over  the  King. 

"  Go  you  yourself  to  my  father,"  she  replied, 
"and  seek  his  mercy;  Ulphilas  will  be  glad  to  pay 
off  the  debt  of  gratitude  he  owes  you  with  your 
sister's  life.  Were  I  to  beg  the  boon,  I  know  al- 
ready to  my  sorrow,  it  would  be  refused  me ;  for, 
scarce  a  week  before  the  pestilence  broke  out,  a 
poor,  old,  silly  creature,  who  under  torture,  had  con- 
fessed herself  a  witch,  sent  a  petition  to  me,  pray- 
ing I  would  come  to  her  ;  and,  when  I  went,  she 
told  me  in  secrecy,  she  had  not  confessed  because 
she  was  guilty,  but  because  she  was  a  poor  creature 
who  wrought  for  her  meat ;  and  being  defamed  for 


92  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

a  witch  she  knew  she  should  starve,  for  no  person, 
thereafter,  would  give  her  either  food  or  lodging, 
but  all  men  would  beat  her,  and  set  dogs  at  her ; 
and,  therefore,  she  desired  to  be  out  of  the  world, 
and  did  confess,  that  she  might  die.  Whereupon 
she  wept  most  bitterly,  arid,  on  her  knees,  called  God 
to  witness  to  what  she  said.*  And  though  I  told 
my  father  all,"  continued  Evoe,  "  and  at  his  feet, 
begged  for  the  wretched  creature's  life,  yet,  counsel- 
ed by  the  Priests,  he  would  not  listen  to  my  prayer ; 
and  so,  poor  soul,  they  burnt  her." 

Huan  staid  to  hear  no  more,  and  sought  the 
King  himself. 

But  Ulphilas  had  gone,  with  all  his  Court  and 
Priests  and  Judges,  to  the  Mosque,  to  offer  up 
prayers,  before  the  trials  of  those  accused  of  witch- 
craft commenced. 

So  Huan  followed  after  them,  resolving  to  peti- 
tion the  Monarch  on  his  way  back  to  the  council- 
chamber. 

When  the  Dwarf  reached  the  doors  of  the  Tem- 
ple, he  could  scarcely  enter  for  the  multitudes  that 
were  gathered  within ;  for  Ulphilas  had  published 
a  decree,  saying,  "  The  fearful  abounding  at  that 
time  and  in  that  country  of  those  detestable  slaves 
of  the  Arch-fiend — the  witches,  or  enchanters — had 
moved  him  to  appoint  a  commission  of  clergy  and 

*  Sir  George  Mackenzie,  on  the  Criminal  Law  of  Scot- 
land, 1678. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  93 

laymen  with  full  powers  to  punish  the  guilty,  and 
to  root  them  out  from  the  face  of  the  earth."  And 
the  news  that  one  of  the  wisest  of  the  Dervishes 
would  preach  that  day,  before  the  King  and  all  his 
Court  a  sermon,  "  declaring  the  miserable  case  of 
those  who  suffered  themselves  to  be  deluded  by 
Satan,"  had  spread  far  and  near,  so  that  the 
Mosque  was  filled  with  people  from  the  country 
round. 

And,  when  the  pious  multitude  had  prayed  with 
one  heart  that  God  would  remove  the  scourge  from 
the  nation,  the  Temple  grew  silent  as  a  tomb,  and 
the  Chief  Dervish  rose  and  said  : — 

"  May  it  please  you,  O  King,  to  understand,  that 
witches  and  sorcerers,  within  these  last  four  years, 
are  marvelously  increased  in  this  your  mighty 
realm.  Your  subjects,  O  King,  pine  away  even  unto 
the  death ;  their  color  fadeth,  their  flesh  rotteth, 
their  speech  is  benumbed,  their  senses  are  bereft! 
I  pray  Allah  they  may  never  practise  further  than 
upon  the  subject!"* 

And  the  crowd  cried,  "Amen!"  while  Huan 
shuddered  at  the  blindness  of  their  superstition. 

When  silence  was  restored,  the  priest  called  upon 
all  true  believers  to  assist  in  the  extermination  of 
every  witch  arid  sorcerer,  saying,  "  They  have  ab- 
jured all  laws  of  God  and  Man,  and  concocted  an 
infernal  scheme,  to  propagate  the  worship  of  the 

*  Bishop  Jewel's  Sermon  before  Queen  Elizabeth. 


94  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Evil  One,  whom  they  adore  under  the  name  of 
Asmodi.  Sometimes,"  contimied  the  learned  and 
pious  Dervish,  "  this  Father  of  Lies  appears  to  his 
worshipers  as  a  goose  or  a  duck  ;*  at  others,  as  a 
pale,  black-eyed  youth,  with  a  melancholy  aspect, 
whose  embrace  filleth  their  heart  with  an  eternal 
hatred  against  the  Prophet;  while  to  one  of  the 
most  devout  of  the  Welees  he  hath  appeared  first 
in  the  shape  of  a  dark  man,  riding  a  tall  black 
horse ;  then  as  a  friar,  afterward  as  an  ass,  and 
finally  as  a  coach  wheel." 

"  Allah  !  have  mercy  on  us  !"  cried  the  people. 

Then  this,  the  wisest  of  the  Priests,  went  on  to 
tell  them  how  the  earth  swarmed  with  demons,  of 
both  sexes ;  many  of  whom  rendered  themselves 
hideous,  while  others  assumed  shapes  of  transcend- 
ent loveliness  and  the  forms  of  beautiful  women, 
to  deceive  men.  Their  bodies  were  of  the  thin 
air,  he  said ;  and  they  could  pass  through  the 
hardest  substance  with  the  greatest  ease.  When 
thrown  together  in  great  multitudes,  they  excited 
whirlwinds  in  the  atmosphere  and  tempests  in  the 
waters,  and  took  delight  in  destroying  the  beauty 
of  nature  and  the  monuments  of  the  industry  of 
Man. 

"  Now,  the  number  of  these  demons,"  continued 
the  Dervish,  "  is  believed  by  some  holy  men  to  be 
so  great,  that  they  cannot  be  counted ;  but  one  of 
*  Pope  Gregory  IX. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  95 

the  most  devout  of  the  servants  of  the  Prophet 
hath  asserted,  with  great  reason,  that  they  amount 
to  no  more  than  seven  millions,  four  hundred  and 
five  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  twenty-six."* 

The  whole  air,  he  told  the  people,  as  they  moan- 
ed aloud  and  cried  again,  "  Allah  !  have  mercy 
upon  us  !"  was  full  of  such  denlons  ;  and  many 
unfortunate  men  and  women  drew  them  by  thou- 
sands into  their  mouths  and  nostrils  at  every  in- 
spiration ;  so  that,  lodging  in  their  bodies,  they 
tormented  them  with  pains  and  diseases  of  every 
kind,  and  sent  them  frightful  dreams. f 

Once  more  the  panic-striken  crowd  cried,  "  De- 
stroy them  and  theirs,  O  Lord  !"  while  Huan,  sor- 
rowing for  the  blasphemy  of  the  people,  cried, 
"Allah !  have  mercy  on  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  say !" 

Then  the  learned  Dervish  informed  them  how 
one  of  the  most  pious  of  their  saints  had  related 
a  story  of  a  Welee  who  omitted  to  say,  "  In 
the  name  of  God !"  bfefore  he  began  to  eat,  and 
who,  in  consequence,  had  swallowed  an  imp,  con- 
cealed in  a  date,  and  was  thereafter  grievously 
tormented,  until  ten  demons  had  been  cast  out  of 
him  4 

Again  and  again  the  multitude  cried  aloud  to 

*  Werius. 

t  See  Bekker,  Leloyer,  Bodin,  &c. 

t  St.  Gregory  of  Nice. 


96  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

"  Allah  !"  while  the  Dervish  bade  the  King  and 
his  people  notice  that,  though  all  other  points  of 
belief  were  in  dispute  among  them,  still  witchcraft 
was  considered  by  every  sect  to  be  as  well  estab- 
lished as  the  existence  of  God  himself. 

Then,  as  he  told  the  populace  that  confession 
was  the  only  means  left  for  the  witch  to  make 
atonement  with  Heaven,  and  charged  those  that 
dealt  in  sorcery  and  enchantment — if  there  were 
any  present — to  come  forward  to  the  altar  and 
declare  the  truth,  a  passion  of  tears  seized  upon  the 
multitude ;  men,  women  and  children  began  to 
weep  and  sob,  and  hundreds  of  poor,  old,  half-wit- 
ted creatures  rose  up  and  accused  themselves  of 
things  they  never  did,  while  others,  more  crazy 
than  the  rest,  confessed  to  things  they  never  could 
have  done.* 

On  this  the  Dervish,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  re- 
minded the  affrighted  multitude  that  Heaven  had 
said,  "  Thou  shall  not  suffer  the  witch  to  live !" 
and  bade  them  be  sure,  if  a  storm  arose  and  blew 
down  their  barns,  it  was  the  work  of  the  witch ; 
or  if  their  cattle  died  of  a  murrain,  or  disease  fast- 
ened on  their  limbs,  or  death  snatched  a  beloved 
face  from  their  hearths,  be  sure  it  was  the  work  of 
some  neighboring  hag,  who  had  sold  berself,  body 
and  soul,  to  the  Arch-fiend. 

Then  the  anger  of  the  people  knew  no  bounds ; 
*  Swedish  commission  to  Mohra. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  97 

arid  they  rose  up,  as  one  man,  to  wreak  their  fury 
on  the  witless  things  that,  in  the  madness  of  the 
time,  had  confessed  themselves  the  confederates  of 
demons. 

But  Huan,  unable  to  hold  his  peace  any  longer, 
rushed,  in  the  confusion,  to  the  deserted  altar,  and 
cried,  in  a  loud  voice,  so  that  all  turned  round  to 
listen  to  him,  "  Madmen !  what  would  ye  do  ? 
Have  ye  not  had  blood  enough  yet  ?  Our  dun- 
geons are  gorged  with  such  as  these  poor  creatures. 
There  are  not  judges  enough  to  try  them.  No  day 
passes  but  we  render  our  tribunals  bloody  by  the 
dooms  that  we  pronounce.  No  day  passes  but  we 
return  to  our  homes  discountenanced  and  terrified 
by  the  horrible  confessions  we  have  heard.*  Ye 
say  that  the  Demon  the  witches  serve  is  so  good  a 
master,  that  for  each  one  of  his  slaves  ye  commit 
to  the  flames  an  hundred  rise  up  from  the  ashes ; 
but  have  ye  never  thought  that  if,  indeed,  it  be  a 
demon  who  raises  up  so  many  new  witches  to  fill 
the  place  of  those  ye  consume,  it  is  none  other  than 
one  in  your  own  bosoms — the  Demon  of  Persecu* 
tion  ?  But  so  it  is  !  The  more  ye  burn  the  more 
ye  find  to  burn,  until  it  has  become  a  common 
prayer  with  women,  that  they  may  never  live  to 
grow  old — since  to  be  aged,  poor,  or  ill-favored,  is, 
with  you,  sufficient  to  insure  death  at  the  stake. 
Look  at  the  poor  witless  things  ye  would  destroy  ! 

*  Florimond. 
7 


98  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Verily,  they  should  be  led  to  the  hospital  and  not 
to  the  scaffold,  for  they  stand  more  in.  need  of 
medicine  than  punishment." 

Then,  turning  to  the  Dervishes,  he  said,  "  Ye 
teach  the  people  to  thank  God  night  and  morning 
for  his  loving-kindness,  and  praise  Him  for  the  bless- 
ings of  the  seed-time  and  the  harvest,  and  yet  ye 
teach  them  also,  that  Satan  is  at  every  man's  beck 
and  call,  to  subvert  God's  laws,  and  thwart  his 
merciful  intentions,  by  raising  the  whirlwind,  in 
despite  of  Him,  or  blighting  the  fruits  of  the  earth, 
or  paralyzing  the  limbs  of  Man  !" 

Now,  when  the  people  heard  Huan  say  these 
things,  they  cried  with  one  voice,  "  Seize  him !  seize 
him !"  And  the  Chief  Dervish,  rising  up,  said, 
"  He  doth  deny  there  can  be  such  thing  as  witch- 
craft, and  so  maintaineth  the  old  error  of  the  Sad- 
ducees,  in  the  gainsaying  of  spirits  ;"*  while  the 
Vizier,  jealous  of  the  rising  favorite,  and  anxious 
to  implicate  Huan  in  the  witchcraft  that  his 
sister  Anthy  had  been  charged  with,  bade  the 
guards  seize  the  Dwarf,  saying,  "  He  would  pro- 
cure impunity  for  Satan's  crafts'-folk,  whereby  he 
plainly  betrayeth  himself  to  be  one  of  that  pro- 
fession."! 

Huan  in  vain  demanded  an  audience  of  the 
King,  for  the  Vizier  motioned  the  guards  to  be 
gone ;  and  immediately  the  dwarf,  surrounded  by 
*  James  VI.  t  Ibid. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


99 


his  crazy  and  life-sick  companions,  was  led  through 
the  streets  to  prison  —  the  frantic  crowd  hooting 
arid  yelling  after  them,  as  they  went. 


T  day-break,  on  the  morrow,  the 
whole  city  was  abroad  and  hurry- 
ing to  the  council-chamber  to 
hear  the  trial  of  the  mistress  of 
the  Prince,  and  the  Dwarf,  her 
brother. 

And,  as  the  citizens  met  one  another  in  the  mar- 
ket-streets, they  would  say  it  was  clear  as  the  noon- 
day sun,  that  the  girl  by  witchcraft  had  invoked 
the  Pestilence  upon  the  town,  and  that  the  Imp 
Huan,  whom  men  called  the  Worker  of  Good,  had 
expelled  it  by  witchcraft  too ;  while,  to  those  who 
doubted  and  still  thought  well  of  the  Dwarf,  they 
would  cite  strange  cases  of  sorcerers  who  had  con- 
fessed that  they  had  only  sought  the  aid  of  the 
Evil  One  for  the  purpose  of  curing  diseases  and  un- 
bewitching  the  afflicted.* 

*  Siour  de  Beaumont. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  101 

When  the  King  and  his  Court  were  seated,  the 
Chief  of  the  Council  rose  up,  and,  turning  to  Ul- 
philas,  spake  as  follows  : — 

"  Thou  knowest  well,  O  King  !  that  there  is  no 
crime  so  opposed  to  the  commands  of  God  as  witch- 
craft. And  your  mighty  Father,  O  King !  whose 
memory  be  ever  blessed,  passed  that  '  beautiful  and 
severe  ordinance'*  by  which  the  punishment  of 
death  was  decreed  against  those  who  in  any  way 
evoked  the  Evil  One — compounded  love  filters — 
afflicted  man,  woman,  or  child  with  palsy — trou- 
bled the  atmosphere — excited  tempests — destroyed 
the  fruits  of  the  Earth — dried  up  the  milk  of  cows, 
or  tormented  their  fellow-creatures  with  sores  and 
diseases.  All  persons  found  guilty  of  exercising 
these  execrable  arts  were,  by  this  blessed  and  me- 
morable edict,!  to  be  executed  immediately  upon 
conviction,  so  that  the  earth  might  be  rid  of  the 
burthen  and  curse  of  their  presence.  And,  though 
thousands  have  been  condemned  and  burnt  under 
this  ordinance,  still  the  slaves  of  the  Arch-fiend  do 
so  enormously  increase  that,  despite  all  our  holy 
exertions  and  the  unparalleled  severity  of  our  ordi^ 
nances,  the  Judges  now  complain  that  for  two 
witches  they  burn  one  day,  there  are  ten  to  burn 
the  next." 

*  Remonstrance  of  the  Parliament  of  Rouen  to  King 
Louis  XIV.,  in  1670. 
t  Capitulaire  de  Baluse. 


102  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

After  this,  the  Chief  of  the  Council  read  the 
letter  which  the  King  himself  had  written  to  his 
people,*  not,  as  the  Monarch  said,  "  as  a  show  of 
his  own  learning,  but  only  from  being  moved  of 
conscience  against  the  accursed  opinions  of  the  dis- 
believers of  witchcraft."  In  this  letter,  the  King 
had  told  his  people  that  witches  ought  to  be  put  to 
death  according  to  the  law  of  God,  the  civil  and 
imperial  law,  and  the  municipal  law  of  all  pious 
and  holy  nations.  Yea,  the  King  had  said,  "  to 
spare  the  life  and  not  strike  whom  God  bids  us 
strike,  is  not  only  unlawful,  but,  doubtless,  as  great 
a  sin  as  was  Saul's  sparing  Agag." 

And  then  the  Chief  of  the  Council  bade  the 
Judges  and  the  Court  remember  that  the  King 
himself  had  told  them,  in  that  most  wise  and  pious 
letter,  that  the  crime  of  witchcraft  was  so  abomi- 
nable that  it  might  be  proved  by  evidence  that 
would  not  be  received  against  any  other  offenders  ; 
for  that  young  children,  who  knew  not  the  nature 
of  an  oath,  and  persons  of  an  infamous  character, 
who  would  not  be  believed  upon  their  oaths  on 
any  other  matter,  were  sufficient  witnesses  against 
those  accused  of  sorcery. 

The  people  murmured  with  delight  to  hear  this, 

and,  when  silence  was  restored,  those  who,  of  their 

own  free  will,  had  come  forward  to  bear  witness 

against  Anthy  were  summoned  before  the  council. 

*  King  James  I. 


TOE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  103 

First  came  one  poor,  mad  thing,  known  as  "  the 
Wise  Woman  of  Asulon,"  who — though  she  sealed 
her  own  doom  by  what  she  said — still  had  volun- 
teered to  "speak  the  truth" — for  such  the  wretch- 
ed maniac  fancied  her  dreams  to  be. 

Immediately  she  saw  the  King,  she  fell  upon 
her  knees,  and,  holding  up  her  skinny  hands,  cried, 
"  Good  Master,  forgive  me  !"  So  Ulphilas,  observ- 
ing her  supplicating  him,  said,  "  What  is  the 
matter  with  thee,  woman  ?" — "  O,  master,"  she 
replied,  "  I  have  been  the  cause  of  all  this  trouble 
to  your  people." — "  Have  you  ?"  exclaimed  the 
King ;  "  what  cause  did  I  ever  give  you  to  use  me 
and  my  people  thus  ?" — "  Master,"  she  whispered, 
"  I  have  forsaken  my  Maker,  and  given  my  soul  to 
the  Devil."* 

Then  the  council  shuddered,  as  they  heard  her 
tell  how  she  and  others — to  the  number  of  upward 
of  two  hundred,  including  Anthy  and  her  brother 
the  Dwarf — had,  last  Friday,  at  midnight,  each 
embarked  in  a  riddle  or  sieve,  and  sailed  over  the 
sea  very  substantially  on  their  way  to  the  great 
Sabbath  of  Fiends. 

"  After  cruising  about  for  some  time,"  she  said, 
"  they  met  with  a  Fiend,  by  name  Ilemazar," 
dressed  in  a  suit  of  sad  green,  and  bearing  in  his 
claws  a  cat  that  had  been  drawn  nine  times  through 
the  fire,  and  had  four  joints  of  men  tied  to  its  feet. 
*  Examination  of  Alice  Samuel. 


104  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

This  the  Fiend  delivered  to  Anthy,  bidding  her 
cast  it  into  the  sea  and  cry  '  Hola  !' — which  being 
done,  immediately  the  ocean  became  convulsed,  the 
waters  hissed  loudly,  and  the  waves  rose  mountains 
high. 

"  They  all  sailed  gallantly  through  the  tempest," 
the  poor  mad  thing  went  on,  "  and,  landing  on  the 
coast,  took  their  sieves  in  their  hands,  and  marched 
in  procession  to  a  gravel-pit,  that  lay  hard  by  the 
cross-way  There  Huan  the  Dwarf  called  three 
times  upon  the  Antecessor,  bidding  him  come  and 
carry  them  to  his  Domdaniel !  And  immediately 
the  Arch-fiend  appeared  to  them  as  a  shapeless 
mass,  resembling  the  trunk  of  a  blasted  tree,  seen 
indistinctly  amid  the  darkness. 

"  He  told  them  to  make  ready  for  their  journey  ; 
but  first  bade  them  go  and  procure  some  scrapings 
of  altars  and  filings  of  church-clocks.  This  done, 
he  changed  himself  into  a  huge  black  he-goat ;  and 
they  all  seated  themselves  on  his  back,  which 
lengthened  or  shortened,  according  to  the  number 
he  had  to  cariy.  Then  away  they  went,  taking 
with  them  as  many  children  as  they  could ;  for 
the  Antecessor,"  she  said,  "did  plague  and  flog 
them  with  a  whip  of  scorpions,  if  they  did  not  pro- 
cure him  children."* 

Here  many  a  mother  in  the  crowd  clutched  their 
little  ones  fast  to  them,  saying,  "Allah  !  preserve 
*  Confessions  of  witches  at  Mohra, 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  105 

us  !"  And  one  stood  up  to  tell  how  her  child  had 
been  carried  away  in  the  night,  and  how  the  fiends 
had  beaten  it  black-and-blue,  so  that  she  and 
others  had  plainly  seen  the  marks  in  the  morning. 

Then,  as  the  first  witness  was  led  out,  and  the 
mob  shrank  back,  for  fear  lest  she  should  touch 
and  wither  them  as  she  passed,  another,  still  more 
crazy  than  she,  was  brought  forward  to  tell  her 
grim  tale  too,  and  have  her  ravings  taken  down  as 
truth. 

She  also  had  been  summoned  to  the  Domdaniel, 
or  Demon-sabbath.  "  And  Anthy  and  her  brother 
had  gone  with  them,"  she  said,  "  to  the  haunted 
Mosque,  and  paced  around  it  withershins — that  is 
to  say,  in  the  reverse  way  of  the  sun.  Anthy,"  she 
swore,  "  had  blown  into  the  keyhole  of  the  door, 
which  opened  immediately,  and  all  the  witches 
entered.  Whereupon  Huan  the  Dwarf  blew  with 
his  mouth  upon  the  candles,  which  instantly  lighted ; 
and  then  the  Antecessor  was  seen  seated  upon  a 
large  gilded  throne,  and  dressed  in  a  black  gown 
and  hat,  with  boots,  sword,  and  spurs. 

"  After  they  had  all  bound  themselves  body  and 
soul  to  the  service  of  Satan,  they  sat  down  to  a 
feast,  composed  of  broth  made  of  coleworts  and 
bacon,  and  oatmeal,  milk  and  cheese,  and  the  flesh 
of  unbaptized  babes.  And  the  Evil  One  placed 
Anthy  on  his  right  hand  and  Huan  on  his  left,  and 
played  to  them  on  a  lute  while  they  were  eating. 


106  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

After  the  feast,  they  were  amused  by  a  dance  of 
toads.  Thousands  sprang  out  of  the  Earth,  and 
standing  on  their  hind-legs,  danced,  while  Satan 
played  the  bag-pipes.  Then  they  all  danced  with 
the  fiends  in  a  ring,  cursing  and  swearing  the  while 
— the  Evil  One  himself  leading  off  the  dance  with 
Anthy.  And  thus  they  kept  up  the  sport  till  the 
cock  crew."* 

The  next  that  bare  witness  against  poor  Anthy 
was  a  woodman  that  had  lived  near  her  father's 
cottage  ;  and  he,  as  superstitious  as  those  that  lis- 
tened to  him,  said,  that  "the  axle-tree  of  his  wagon 
chanced  to  break  one  day,  as  it  passed  Ergastor's 
house  when  Anthy  came  out,  and,  frowning  at  him 
put  the  Evil  Eye  upon  him ;  and,  when  he  had 
mended  his  wagon  again,  and  was  bringing  it  home 
into  his  field,  it  stuck  so  fast  in  the  gate's  head, 
that  neither  he  nor  his  neighbors  could  possibly  get 
it  through,  but  were  forced  to  cut  down  the  posts 
of  the  gate  to  make  it  pass — though  they  could  not 
perceive  the  wagon  touched  the  gate-posts  on 
either  side.  And,  while  they  were  trying  to  cut 
the  posts  down,  the  noses  of  those  that  came  to  as- 
sist him  burst  out  a-bleeding,  so  that  he  and  the 
neighbors  were  forced  to  wait  till  the  next  morning, 
to  complete  their  work.  Within  a  short  time  after 

*  Confession  of  Gillie  Duncan,  who  was  summoned  before 
King  James,  on  the  night  before  her  execution,  to  play  on 
the  Jews'-harp  the  reel  that  she  played  to  the  Devil  and  his 
imps  and  witches,  when  proceeding  to  the  Demon-sabbath. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  107 

this,  all  his  four  mules  had  died,  and  he  sus- 
tained several  other  losses  by  a  murrain  among  his 
cattle.*  Further,  on  several  occasions  he  had 
dreamed  of  Arithy  and  a  black  cat ;  and  moreover 
exactly  a  year  and  a  quarter  after  she  had  put  the 
ICvil  Eye  upon  him,  the  pestilence  had  broken  out, 
and  all  his  children  been  carried  off  by  it." 

Then  there  came  one  who  was  a  maker  of  palm- 
baskets,  and  who  said  that  "  he  had  long  been 
sorely  pestered  with  cats,  so  that  he  could  not  rest 
at  night.  At  last  he  had  sought  a  cunning  man, 
to  know  the  reason  why  his  slumbers  were  thus 
disturbed  ;  and  the  cunning  man  told  him  that  his 
tormentors  were  no  cats  but  witches.  Whereupon 
his  wife  had  remembered  she  had  often  heard  the 
cats  talking  together  in  human  voices.  One  night, 
hearing  the  creatures  crying  and  screaming  about 
his  house  most  unmercifully,  he  went  out  and 
frightened  them  away,  and  they  all  ran  off  toward 
the  palace  of  Prince  Aleph.  One  of  these  cats  had 
the  face  of  Anthy — indeed  he  had  often  seen  a  cat 
with  the  face  of  the  Prince's  favorite.  On  another 
night,  being  sorely  disturbed  in  his  rest,  he  dis- 
charged two  arrows  at  the  cats,  arid  with  them 
put  out  both  the  eyes  of  the  one  that  had  Anthy's 
face.  A  little  while  after  this  the  pestilence  broke 
out ;  and,  when  next  he  saw  the  young  Witch 

*  Evidence  of  John  Soam  and  Robert  Sherminghara 
cm  the  trial  of  Amy  Dany  and  Rose  Cullender. 


108  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Anthy,  she  had  lost  both  her  eyes.  And  he  verily 
believed  that  it  was  she  that  he  had  shot  under  the 
likeness  of  a  cat."* 

On  this,  the  Judges  desired  that  the  accused 
Anthy  might  be  brought  into  their  presence,  so  that 
they  might  condemn  her  forthwith ;  but  Ulphilaa 
restrained  them,  asking  whether  the  tests  had  been 
tried  upon  her,  and  saying,  "  he  feared  some  of  the 
witches  were,  like  their  master,  extreme  liars."  So 
the  Chief  of  the  Council  bade  the  guard  go  and 
summon  before  them  the  Witch-Finder-General. 

Now  this  man  was  one  of  great  consideration ; 
and  he  entered,  attended  by  his  two  assistants. 
The  crowd  made  way  for  him  as  he  came  in,  out 
of  respect  to  the  wealth  that  he  had  amassed  in 
his  calling  ;  for  to  each  town  he  visited  he  charged 
a  piece  of  gold,  together  with  the  cost  of  his  enter- 
tainment and  carriage  there  and  back.  This  he 
was  paid  whether  he  found  witches  or  not,  and  if 
he  did  find  any,  he  received  a  piece  of  gold  in  ad- 
dition for  each  one  he  brought  to  execution. 

Even  the  King  paid  the  man  great  deference  for 
the  number  of  witches  he  had  burnt ;  and  Ulphilas 
himself  asked  him  whether  he  had  tried  the  tests 
on  the  young  Witch  Anthy. 

The  Witch-Finder-General  answered  that  he 
had.  He  had  weighed  her  against  the  Koran,  and 

*  Evidence  of  William  Montgomery  against  Nannie  Gil- 
bert, and  Thomas  Ireland  against  the  Witch  of  Walkerne. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDiNESS.  109 

had  bade  her  repeat  her  prayers  without  a  mistake ; 
and  in  both  of  these  unerring  tokens  she  had  failed. 
Moreover,  in.  order  that  his  own  conscience  and 
that  of  others  might  be  satisfied,  he  had  tried  upon, 
her  the  test  of  swimming,  so  highly  recommended 
by  the  King  himself.*  He  had  tied  the  thumb  of 
the  right  hand  to  the  toe  of  the  left  foot,  and  that 
of  the  left  hand  to  the  right  foot,  and  wrapping  her 
in  a  blanket,  had  laid  her  on  her  back  in  the  river ; 
but  she  had  not  sunk  immediately,  as  the  learned 
Monarch  well  knew  she  would  have  done,  had  she 
not  parted  with  her  soul  to  Satan.  Moreover,  so 
that  even  the  most  skeptical  might  have  no  doubt 
of  her  guilt,  he  had  placed  the  girl  in  the  middle  of  a 
room,  cross-legged  on  a  stool,  and  set  men  to  watch 
her  for  four-and-twenty  hours,  during  which  time 
she  had  been  kept  without  meat  or  drink.  And 
there  had  come  to  her  four  flies,  which  neither  of  the 
watchers  could  kill — and  so  proved  them  to  be  some 
of  her  imps,  that  had  come  to  suck  her  blood. t 

On  this  the  council  turned  to  Ulphilas,  as  if  to 
say,  "  Art  thou  convinced  now,  O  King." 

But  the  Monarch  asked  the  man  whether  he  had 
found  on  the  body  of  the  young  Witch  the  demon's 
mark,  and  had  tried  the  insensibleness  thereof. 
The  Witch-Finder  answered,,  that  he  had ;  and 
that  when  he  had  thrust  long  pins  into  her  flesh, 

*  James  I. 

t  Gaul's  pamphlet  against  Matthew  Hopkins. 


110  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

she  had  only  wept  three  tears  of  the  left  eye.  la- 
deed  all  things  had  gone  to  prove  her  an  abomina- 
ble witch  who  was  a  curse  and  burthen  to  the 
land. 

Now,  when  Ulphilas  heard  this,  and  was  told 
that,  notwithstanding  all  these  clear  evidences  of  her 
guilt,  the  young  Witch  not  only  stubbornly  refused 
to  confess,  but,  prompted  by  the  Father  of  lies,  still 
protested  her  innocence,  the  Monarcji  ordered  Anthy 
to  be  brought  before  him,  that  she  might  be  exam- 
ined by  his  council. 

When  the  Blind  Girl  was  led  in,  she  felt  that 
every  eye  was  turned  with  horror  toward  her ;  and 
trembling  with  fear,  she  murmured  a  prayer  to  her- 
self, while  those  that  were  near  and  heard  her, 
cried  out,  "  O  King,  she  is  conjuring  of  her  evil 
spirits  now." 

Then  the  Chief  of  the  Council  rose  and  asked  her 
whether  she  would  deny  that  she  could  excite 
whirlwinds  and  tempests  and  call  down  the  light- 
ning ;  and  he  demanded  likewise  to  know  whether 
she  had  ever  hurt  any  ships  or  boats.* 

Anthy's  pale  face  grew  red  with  indignation,  as 
she  answered  quickly,  "  No  !" 

Then  he  who  was  the  head  of  the  Dervishes, 

and  accounted  the  most  learned  and  pious  of  them 

all,  demanded  of  her  whether  she  would  swear 

Satan  had  never  sucked  at  her  chin  or  under  her 

#  Examination  of  Temperance  Lloyd. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  Ill 

ears,  in  the  shape  of  a  dun  chicken,  an.  owl,  or  a 
white  rat.* 

But  Anthy,  gaining  courage,  drew  herself  up,- 
and  said,  as  she  raised  her  hand  to  Heaven,  she 
^vould  swear  it. 

And,  when  the  holy  man  heard  this,  he  lifted  up 
his  eyes  in  horror  at  the  girl's  stubbornness,  and  sat 
himself  down. 

Next  stood  up  the  wisest  of  the  Elders,  and  the 
people  all  turned  with  expectation  toward  him. 
Then  he  asked  Anthy  solemnly  whether  she  had 
ever  passed  through  a  key-hole,  or  had  ridden  across 
an  arm  of  the  sea  on  a  cow.f 

But  still  the  only  answer  they  could  get  was 
"No!" 

The  Elder  stood  for  a  moment  gazing  at  her,  as 
if  wonder-stricken  at  the  wicked  hardihood  of  the 
girl;  and  then,  as  he  tossed  his  head,  asked  her 
one  other  question,  saying,  "Wilt  thou,  on  thine 
oath,  deny  that  the  Arch-fiend  hath  ever  come  to 
thee  as  a  magpie,  and  that,  having  blown  into  thy 
mouth,  an  imp  hath  forthwith  jumped  out  of  it?"t 

Anthy  again  appealed  to  Heaven  to  witness  she 
was  innocent. 

And  then  the  wisest  of  the  Elders,  turning  to 

*  Alice  Samuel  and  others, 
t  Examination  of  Temperance  Lloyd, 
t  Information  of  Anne  Wakley  and  Examination  of  Joan 
Willimot. 


112  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Ulphilas,  said,  the  Father  of  lies  hath  still  power 
over  her,  O  King  !  The  torture  alone  can  force  the 
•truth  from  the  hag."  -;  -.  • 

And  the  council  one  and  all  cried,  "  Ay !  to  the 
rack  with  the  young  Witch !  to  the  rack  with 
her !" 

Already  the  guards  had  seized  upon  the  trembling 
Anthy,  when  Ulphilas  bade  them  hold,  saying,  "  To 
condemn  the  innocent  was  as  great  an  abomination 
to  the  Lord  as  to  let  the  guilty  go  free."  Then, 
turning  to  him  who  was  held  the  chief  Philosopher 
of  the  kingdom,  he  desired  him  to  give  his  judg- 
ment of  the  girl. 

So  the  Philosopher  said  that,  "after  all  he  had 
heard  he  was  clearly  of  opinion  the  girl  Anthy  had 
bewitched  the  people.  There  had  lately  been,"  he 
added,  "  a  discovery  of  witches  in  the  city  of  El- 
Basrah,  where  the  slaves  of  the  Arch-fiend  had  tor- 
mented persons  by  conveying  crooked  pins,  needles 
and  nails  into  their  bodies."  And  he  said  that  he 
thought  "  the  Evil  One  acted,  in  such  cases,  upon 
human  bodies  by  natural  means ;  namely,  by  ex* 
citing  and  stirring  up  the  superabundant  humors ; 
and,  if  the  affliction  of  the  late  pestilence  was  a 
natural  one,  it  had  certainly  been  considerably  in- 
creased by  the  subtlety  of  Satan  co-operating  with 
the  malice  of  the  witches."* 

*  Evidence  of  Sir  Thomas  Brown  on  the  trial  of  Amy 
Dany  and  Rose  Cullender. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  113 

After  this  the  girl  was  again  asked  if  she  would 
confess. 

Again  she  protested  her  innocence ;  and  the 
Judges  and  the  council  consulted  among  themselves. 

Suddenly  a  voice  from  the  crowd  cried  out,  "  She 
hath  bewitched  her  own  father !"  Whereupon  Ul- 
philas  turned  to  Anthy,  and  bade  her  say  if  that 
charge  were  true. 

Then  the  girl,  conscience-stricken,  lost  all  courage, 
as  she  thought  of  the  affliction  she  had  brought 
upon  her  parent;  and,  burying  her  face  in  her 
hands,  remained  dumb  with  shame  and  remorse. 

So  the  King  commanded  Ergastor  should  be  sent 
for,  that  they  might  hear  what  the  old  man  had  to 
say  against  his  daughter. 

Then  the  madman  was  brought  from  his  cell,  to 
bear  witness  against  his  child.  At  the  first  men- 
tion of  his  daughter's  name,  his  ravings  returned, 
and  he  railed  at  Anthy  and  the  Prince  so  wildly, 
and  cursed  them  so  awfully,  that  the  poor  girl,  un- 
able to  listen  to  his  fury  any  longer,  fell  on  her 
knees,  and  cried,  "  O  take  him  from  me  !  in  mercy 
take  him  from  me  !  I  do  confess  it  was  the  Arch- 
fiend that  prompted  me  to  rob  him  of  his  reason. 
Yes  ;  I  confess  it  all — every  thing — any  thing — if 
you  will  but  take  him  from  me." 

Then  the  Chief  Judge,  who  was  accounted  a  man 
of  great  knowledge  and  discernment,  having  ordered 
the  madman  to  be  removed,  rose  up,  and  said, 
8 


114  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

"  The  case  was  apparent,  and  their  consciences 
were  well  satisfied.  For  himself  he  did  riot  in  the 
least  doubt  there  were  such  creatures  as  witches  ; 
first,  because  the  Koran  affirmed  it ;  arid,  secondly, 
because  the  wisdom  of  all  nations,  particularly 
their  own,  had  provided  laws  against  witchcraft, 
which  implied  their  belief  in  it."* 

And  then,  as  a  deathlike  silence  reigned  in  the 
hall,  he  pronounced  sentence  upon  the  girl,  say- 
ing— 

"  Seeing  that  the  blind  girl  Anthy  hath,  by  the 
testimony  of  credible  witnesses  and  by  her  own. 
spontaneous  confession,  been  proved  guilty  of  the 
abominable  crime  of  witchcraft  and  conjuration  of 
evil  spirits,  this  council  condemneth  her  to  be  tied 
to  a  stake  on  the  morrow  and  burned  alive  and 
quick,  and  her  ashes  then  scattered  to  the  winds  ;t 
and  Allah  have  mercy  on  her  soul  !" 

Anthy  heard  her  doom  unmoved  ;  and  only  said 
"  Amen"  to  the  prayer  at  the  end  of  it ;  while  the 
people  murmured  their  delight  at  the  judgment. 

As  the  girl  was  removed  by  one  door,  Huan  was 
brought  in  at  another. 

While  he  stood  before  the  council,  awaiting  the 
questionings  of  the  Judge  he  fixed  his  eye  upon  the 
King ;  and,  though  Huan  said  not  a  word  in  re- 
monstrance, still  Ulphilas  read  in  his  glance  so  bit- 

*  Sir  Matthew  Hale. 

t  Usual  form  of  condemnation. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KlNDiNESS.  115 

ter  a  rebuke  that  he  almost  quailed  beneath  it,  and 
turned  his  head  aside,  to  avoid  the  mute  reproof. 

Then  the  Vizier  stood  up,  and  told  the  Dwarf 
that  he  was  charged  with  having  attended  the 
Domdaniel,  or  Sabbath  of  Fiends ;  and  with  having 
used,  practiced  and  exercised  conjuration  of  wicked 
and  evil  spirits,  so  that  by  their  aid  and  assistance 
he  had  stayed  the  pestilence  that  had  fallen  on  the 
city.  And  the  Vizier  asked  him  what  he  had  to 
say  in  answer  to  the  accusation. 

Huan  replied  that  he  had  nothing  to  say — to 
those  who  could  listen  to  such  a  charge. 

The  Vizier  warned  him  that  unless  he  disproved 
the  charges  his  life  would  be  forfeited.  Whereupon 
Huan  inquired  of  them  how  many  such  forfeits  had 
been  paid  already. 

But  the  Vizier,  angry  at  the  question,  remained 
silent,  until  Ulphilas,  who  still  looked  with  favor 
on  the  Dwarf,  bade  the  minister  say  how  many 
hundreds  had  suffered. 

The  Vizier  answered,  "We  count  those  that 
suffer  now  by  thousands  instead  of  hundreds,  O 
King." 

"  And  yet,"  sorrowfully  exclaimed  the  Dwarf, 
"  though  the  Heavens  are  red  as  blood  with  the 
flames  of  the  fires  ye  have  lighted,  still  ye  can  not 
see  that  you  yourselves  breed  the  very  crime  that 
ye  would  exterminate.'*' 

The  Judges  looked  at  one  another  with  amaze- 


116  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

ment  while  the  people  wondered  at  the  boldness  of 
the  man.  But  Ulphilas  asked  the  meaning  of  his 
words. 

And  Huan  answered  the  King  by  a  Parable. 

"  While  the  world  was  yet  in  its  darkness,  Igno- 
rance, to  stop  the  quarrelings  of  her  children,  be- 
thought her  of  a  teacher  to  read  the  Book  of  Life 
to  them,  so  that  they  might  learn  to  love  their 
brethren  as  themselves.  And,  hearing  that  none 
preached  such  virtue  as  the  Headsman,  she  sent 
her  sons  to  learn  of  him. 

"  Then,  as  the  simple  dame  heard  the  dark 
teacher  thunder  from  his  crimson  pulpit,  '  Thou 
shalt  not  kill,'  her  heart  swelled  with  admiration 
at  the  tutor  she  had  chosen  ;  and  she  cried,  '  With 
such  a  master,  surely  Man  will  live  in  peace  with 
Man.' 

"  But  the  children,  quicker  than  their  mother, 
saw  that,  as  the  stern  tutor  held  the  Holy  Book 
and  read  from  out  it,  '  Thou  shalt  not  take  thy 
brother's  life,'  his  hands  were  reddened  with  his 
brothers'  blood. 

"  And  they  grew  sick  at  the  sight  of  it ;  while 
they  whispered  among  themselves,  saying,  '  If,  as 
he  telleth  us,  it  be  written,  '  The  Lord  gave,  and 
the  Lord  taketh  away,'  and  therefore  it  be  wrong 
to  kill,  why  doth  he  ?'  So  they  gave  little  heed  to 
what  they  heard,  and  thought  only  of  what  they 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KIiNDNESS.  117 

"  Then,  as  from  day  to  day  the  same  stern  tutor 
taught  the  same  bloodless  precepts  with  the  same 
bloody  hands,  the  children  grew  callous  alike  to 
both,  and  in  time  got  to  laugh  at  the  Headsman's 
lessons — and  imitate  his  acts.  So  that  for  every 
life  the  stern  teacher  took,  his  thousand  pupils  took 
their  thousand  after  him. 

"  At  length  men  thought  so  little  of  their  broth- 
ers' lives,  that  Ignorance,  made  wiser  by  her  fears, 
sought  out  the  tutor  and  rebuked  him,  saying, 
'  Thou  didst  promise  that  the  quarrelings  and 
battlings  of  my  children  should  cease — and  yet, 
under  thy  guidance,  they  quarrel  and  battle  the 
more  !  Thou  didst  promise  to  teach  them  loving- 
kindness  to  one  another,  and  neither  by  word  nor 
deed  to  hurt  any  living  thing — arid  yet  thou  thyself 
wert  the  first  to  torture  others  in  their  sight. 
Thou  didst  promise,  too,  to  teach  them  above  all 
things  to  keep  their  hands  from  shedding  their 
brothers'  blood — and  yet  thou  thyself  wert  again 
the  first  to  use  them  to  the  shedding  of  it.' 

"  And  the  dark  teacher  answered,  '  Nay,  they 
should  have  done  as  I  said,  and  not  as  I  did.' 

"  But  the  mother,  in  her  new  wisdom,  would 
not  listen  to  him,  and  cast  him  forth,  saying, 
'  Hypocrite !  first  learn  to  practice  what  thou 
preachest;  for,  since  example  hath  more  power 
among  men  than  precept,  know  that,  if  thou 
wouldst  have  others  think  it  criminal  to  kill  or 


118  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

torture,  tliou  thyself  shouldst  be  the  first  to  desist 
from  torturing  and  killing.'  " 

Now,  when  Ulphilas  heard  this,  and  remembered 
the  Dwarf  had  worked  good  rather  than  evil,  and 
that  he  himself  perhaps  owed  his  life  to  him,  he 
felt  moved  toward  Huan.  So  he  said  to  the  coun- 
cil, "  This  man  hath  done  no  wrong,  let  him  go 
free.  He  hath  saved  so  many  lives,  that  surely 
his  own  should  be  spared  to  him." 

The  Judges,  angry  at  the  mercy  of  the  Monarch 
communed  among  themselves  for  a  time,  and  then 
the  Vizier  rose,  and,  turning  to  Ulphilas,  remon- 
strated with  him,  saying,  "  We  humbly  supplicate 
thee,  O  King  !  that  before  thou  dost  set  free  one  ac- 
cused of  witchcraft,  thou  wilt  reflect  once  more 
upon  the  terrible  results  which  proceed  from  the 
malevolence  of  witches — on  the  deaths  from  un- 
known diseases  which  often  follow  their  menaces — 
on  the  loss  of  the  goods  and  chattels  of  thy  subjects 
— on  the  sudden  transportation  of  bodies  from  one 
place  to  another — and  other  facts,  verified  by  eye- 
witnesses, and,  moreover,  confessed  to  by  the  accus- 
ed parties  themselves.  These,  O  King  !  are  truths 
so  closely  bound  up  with  the  principles  of  our  relig- 
ion, that,  extraordinary  though  they  be,  no  person 
hath  up  to  this  day  been  able  to  call  them  in  ques- 
tion. We,  therefore,  supplicate  thee,  Great  Ulphi- 
las !  that  thou  wilt  not,  by  extending  thy  mercy  to 
this  man,  suffer  to  be  introduced  during  thy  reign 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  119 

an  opinion  contrary  to  that  glorious  religion  for 
which  thou  hast  always  employed  both  thy  cares 
and  thine  arms."* 

But  the  Monarch  gave  no  ear  to  the  appeal,  and 
bade  the  guards  set  Huan  at  liberty. 

Then  the  people  murmured  among  themselves, 
and  the  Judges,  indignant  at  the  pardon,  rose  up 
and  left  the  council. 

*  Remonstrance  of  the  Parliament  of  Rouen  to  King 
Louis  XIV.,  in  1670. 


ROM  the  council-chamber,  Huan 
i  hurried  to  the  Palace,  so  that,  on 
(the  return  of  the  King,  he  might 
supplicate  him  to  extend  the  same 
mercy  to  Anthy  as  he  had  shown 
to  him  ;  for  he  knew  that  the  Monarch  looked 
with  favor  on  him,  and  felt  assured  that  Ulphilas — 
if  none  were  near  to  hinder  him — would  not  let 
him  plead  in  vain  for  his  sister's  life. 

But,  as  Huan  stood  waiting  at  the  gates,  the 
Vizier  entered,  and,  seeing  him,  gave  orders  that 
he  should  on  no  condition  be  allowed  to  speak  with 
the  King. 

Still  Huan  waited  at  the  Palace-gates  in  patience ; 
and  though  he  begged  of  e-ach  one  that  entered  to 
beseech  the  monarch  to  grant  him  an  intorview( 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  121 

yet  none  returned  to  bring  him  the  wished-for 
answer. 

The  minarets  tolled  to  evening-prayer,  and  still 
he  stopped.  He  saw  the  gilt  domes  of  the  neigh- 
boring Mosques  turn  to  silver  in  the  moonlight, 
and  he  heard  the  low  chant  of  the  watchmen,  cry- 
ing, as  they  went,  "  Attest  the  unity  of  God  !" 
and  still  he  stirred  riot. 

At  last  the  many-colored  lamps  of  the  Palace 
died  out,  and  the  air  grew  blue  and  bleak  with  the 
coming  day  ;  and  then,  weary  and  cold,  Huan  went 
toward  the  lonely  market-streets,  to  while  away 
the  time  till  Ulphilas  should  rise. 

As  he  walked  along,  he  saw  advancing  a  band 
of  men  leading  mules  laden  with  reeds  and  fagots 
arid  naphtha.  As  they  passed  yawning  by,  an- 
other drowsy  band  approached  with  camels  bearing 
stakes  and  gibbets.  Huan's  heart  sank  within 
him,  and  his  knees  bent  under  him,  in  his  horror ; 
and,  thinking  how  little  time  he  had  to  gain  his  sis- 
ter's pardon,  he  hastened  back  again  to  the  Palace. 

Then  he  wrote  a  petition  to  the  King,  begging 
Ulphilas  to  take  back  the  pardon  that  he  had 
vouchsafed  to  him,  and  grant  it  to  his  sister  in  his 
stead — for  that  her  life  was  more  precious  to  him 
than  his  own. 

And,  as  the  first  gate  of  the  Palace  opened,  he 
gave  the  paper  to  the  guard,  bidding  him,  for  the 
love  of  God,  deliver  it  to  the  King. 


122  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

He  sat  himself  down  to  wait  in  wretched  anxiety 
for  the  royal  answer. 

As  the  sun  rose,  the  whole  city  came  streaming 
by,  careless,  as  if  it  were  a  holiday ;  and,  as  the 
callous  tide  poured  along,  some  would  ask,  "how 
many  were  to  be  burned,"  and  others,  "  how  long 
it  wanted  to  the  hour  of  burning,"  while  others, 
would  look  at  Huan  and  whisper  to  one  an- 
other, "  it  was  he  whose  sister  was  condemned  to 
death." 


At  length  the  crowd  had  ceased,  and  the  city 
and  the  Palace  were  still  as  night ;  and  Huan, 
fearing  lest  Ulphilas  should  leave  without  reading 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  123 

his  petition  hastened  to  the  Princess  to  beg  of  her 
to  pray  an  audience  for  him  of  the  King. 

But  Evoe,  when  she  heard  his  wish,  told  him, 
"  he  had  come  too  late,  for  Ulphilas  had  already  left 
the  Palace."  Huan  nearly  sank  to  the  ground  in 
his  agony  of  despair. 

But  it  was  no  time  for  idle  grief,  and,  staggering 
from  the  room,  he  darted  wildly  into  the  street, 
and  then — he  almost  shrieked,  as  he  saw  the  sky 
grow  red  with  the  distant  flames. 


the   .fifteenth.. 


S  soon  as  the  King  and  all  his 
court  had  reached  the  place  of 
execution,  the  muffled  drums  beat 
a  dead  march,  and  the  witches 
^were  brought  forth,  some  to  be 
pinioned  to  the  stake,  and  others 
to  suffer  at  the  gibbet. 

Then,  as  the  poor  demoniac  things  were  led  past 
the  King,  the  crowd  yelled  and  hooted  at  them ; 
and,  though  the  guards  strove  to  keep  the  people 
back,  still  some  of  the  wretched  victims  nearly  lost 
their  lives,  from  the  injuries  they  received  at  the 
hands  of  the  multitude.  For  the  most  superstiti- 
ous of  the  mob — no  matter  what  their  rank* — 
would  rush  forth  to  tear  the  gray  hairs  from  the 
heads  of  the  poor  hags,  believing  that,  if  the  lock 
*  Lady  Cromwell  and  Alice  Samuel. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  125 

were  burnt  by  them  at  any  future  time,  it  would 
act  as  a  charm  against  the  machinations  of  the 
Evil  One. 

As  the  wretched  band  marched  on,  there  came  rich 
and  poor,  young  and  old,  men  and  women,  sane 
and  insane  ;  some  decrepit  and  idiotic  ;  others,  stal- 
wart and  demoniac — and  all  condemned  to  be  burnt 
alive  and  quick,  as  burthens  and  curses  on  the  land. 

Now  there  passed  one  that  was  doomed  to  death 
for  her  ugliness — for  that  alone  was  sufficient  to 
stamp  the  aged  poor  as  the  slaves  of  the  Arch- 
fiend— and  now  another,  who,  being  accounted 
the  prettiest  girl  in  all  the  town,*  men,  in  their 
bigotry,  had  judged  to  be  some  demon  that  had 
assumed  a  form  of  transcendent  loveliness,  to  de- 
ceive mankind. 

Next  there  came  a  Dervish  who,  in  his  mad- 
ness, had  confessed  that,  by  the  imps  at  his  com- 
mand, he  had  sunk  a  ship ;  arid  though,  when  his 
reason  had  returned,  he  had  denied  all  that  he 
had  spoken  in  his  ravings,  still  he  was  doomed  to 
death  ;  and,  as  he  walked  to  the  stake,  he  repeated 
aloud  his  own  burial  service.!  After  him,  came 
a  poor  crazy  creature,  who  believing  herself  the 
witch  her  fanatic  Judges  had  pronounced  her  to 
be,  paced  on,  muttering  the  jargon  charm  which 
was  said  to  have  the  power  to  raise  the  Evil  One. 

Then  came  the  poor,  blind  Anthy,  so  rapt  in 
*  Gobel  Babelin.  f  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis. 


126  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

the  prayer  she  uttered,  that  she  heard  not  the  yells 
and  curses  of  the  people  as  she  passed.  Beside  her 
danced  a  wretched,  frantic  woman,  who,  in  the 
wildness  of  her  frenzy,  laughed  and  clapped  her 
hands  at  the  sight  of  "  the  bonnie  fire"  that  was  to 
consume  her.*  And,  last  of  all  this  melancholy 
band,  there  came  a  child  so  youthful  that,  though 
he  had  only  known  the  world  five  years,  still 
women,  in  the  madness  of  the  time,  had  sworn 
they  had  often  seen  the  little  one  in  company  with 
the  Arch-fiend — and  Judges,  barely  wiser  than  those 
whose  oaths  they  listened  to,  had  condemned  the 
babe  to  be  burnt,  and  its  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds,  t 

And,  even  more  degrading  still,  after  the  human 
train  had  gone,  there  came  a  dog  that,  in  the 
pitchy  darkness  of  the  time,  had  been  tried  by  the 
wise  Judges  of  the  land,  and  found  guilty  of  such 
crimes  against  God  and  man,  that  death  alone  was 
deemed  sufficient  to  atone  for  them  4 

And,  verily,  the  crimes  for  which  the  poor  things 
were  to  suffer  showed  that  those  who  judged  were 
as  insane  as  the  crazy  creatures  they  condemned. 
One  had  been  found  guilty,  by  the  testimony  of 
credible  witness,  of  riding  her  lame  daughter  as  a 
pony  to  the  Demon-sabbath,  where — it  was  sworn 
— Satan  had  shod  the  child,  and  so  caused  her 

«  The  Witch  of  Dornock. 

f  Trials  for  witchcraft  in  New  England. 

j  Trials  for  witchcraft  in  New  England. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  127 

lameness  * — another  of  clambering  over  walls  in 
the  shape  of  a  pig,  and  milking  cows  dry,  under 
the  form  of  a  haref — and  another  of  destroying 
the  crops  of  an  enemy,  by  yoking  toads  to  his 
plough,  in  order  that  the  Evil  One  himself  might 
turn  up  the  land  with  his  team  in  the  night,  and 
so  blast  it  for  the  season. $  Here  was  a  man  who 
was  doomed  to  death  for  having  prowled  about  the 
country  at  night  as  a  wolf,  devouring  little  chil- 
dren ;§  and  there  a  woman  and  her  little  daughter 
were  to  be  burnt  alive  and  quick,  for  raising  up  a 
storm  by  pulling  off  their  stockings.il  This  woman 
was  to  be  deprived  of  life,  because  it  had  been  sworn 
she  had  been  seen  crouching  over  her  fire,  mutter- 
ing to  the  Arch-fiend,  until  twelve  black  cats  had 
jumped  out  of  the  floor  and  danced  around  her  for 
half-an-hour  at  least  ;^[  and  that  boy  was  doomed 
to  be  cut  ofF  in  his  childhood,  for  having  confessed 
he  would  willingly  have  sold  himself  to  Satan  for 
a  good  dinner  and  cakes  every  day  of  his  life,  and 
a  pony  to  ride  upon.** 

Here  stood  one  who  cried  aloud  that  her  crimes 
could  never  be  atoned  for,  even  if  she  were  drawn 
asunder  by  wild  horses,  for  that,  under  the  dis- 
guise of  a  hare,  she  had  been  hunted  by  a  pack  of 

*  Trial  before  the  sheriff-deputy  of  Caithness. 

f  Maria  Sanger.  J  Isabel  Gowdie. 

§  Gilles  Gamier,  at  Dolle.        ||  Trial  at  Huntingdon. 

H  Kornelias  Van  Purmerund. 

**  Execution,  Wurzburg. 


128  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

hounds.*  There  others  shouted  out  that  they  de- 
served to  he  stretched  upon  an  iron  rack  for  their 
sins — some  confessing  to  having  charmed  the  feath- 
ers in  pillows  f— others  to  having  killed  children 
by  praising  their  heautyj — and  others  to  having 
bewitched  bits  of  wood,  hot  cinders  and  knives  into 
the  bodies  of  these  that  had  offended  them.  § 

At  length  the  chief  Dervish  rose,  and  the  whole 
mob  became  suddenly  silent,  and,  bowing  their 
heads,  knelt  down  in  prayer.  But  scarcely  had 
the  solemn  supplication  ceased,  than  the  crowd, 
growing  greedy  for  the  promised  feast  of  torture, 
jumped  up  and  cried  with  one  voice,  "  Fire  the 
reeds  !  fire  the  reeds  !" 

Then,  as  they  bound  the  first  poor  trembling 
thing  to  the  stake,  she  screamed  from  out  the  fag- 
gots that  were  piled  about  her  to  her  waist,  "  Lord 
God,  speed  me  well !  Though  my  sins  be  as  red 
as  scarlet,  thou,  O  Father,  canst  make  them  as 
white  as  snow.  Lord  God,  be  merciful  to  my  poor 
!"||  And  then  the  flames  choked  the  un- 
finished prayer,  and  the  drums  beat  loud,  to  drown  her 
shrieks,  while  the  mad  mob  yelled  with  grim  delight. 

And  so,  she — poor  soul ! — was  burned  alive  and 
quick,  and  her  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds. 


*  Scottish  trials  for  witchcraft. 

f  The  Witch  of  Walkerne. 

j  Trials  at  Bamberg,  in  Bavaria.  §  Ibid. 

II  Susanna  Edwards,  of  Biddiford. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  129 

Then  another  gray-haired  creature  was  led  forth, 
and  pinioned  to  the  stake ;  and,  as  the  executioner, 
torch  in  hand,  advanced  to  the  reeds,  she  shrieked, 
"  Hold !"  Then,  lifting  up  her  body,  she  cried  in  a 
loud  voice,  "Now,  all  you  that  see  me  this  day, 
know  that  I  am  to  die  as  a  witch,  by  my  own  con- 
fession ;  and,  as  I  must  make  answer  to  the  God 
of  Heaven  presently,  I  declare  I  am  as  free  of 
witchcraft  as  any  child.  But  being  accused  by  a 
malicious  woman,  and  put  in  prison  under  the 
name  of  a  witch — disowned  by  my  husband  and 
friends — and  seeing  no  ground  of  hope  of  ever 
coming  out  again,  I  made  up  that  confession,  to 
destroy  my  own  life,  being  weary  of  it,  and  choosing 
rather  to  die  than  live.  So  the  guilt  of  my  blood 
be  on  my  own  head.* 

But  the  Priests  and  the  multitude  only  answered, 
"  This,  more  than  all,  proves  the  hag  to  be  a  witch. 
Fire  the  reeds!  fire  the  reeds  !" 

And  so  she,  too,  poor  soul !  was  burned  alive  and 
quick,  and  her  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds. 

Next  came  two  young  and  beautiful  women, 
who,  on  the  oaths  of  "  credible  witnesses,"  had  been 
found  guilty  of  having  joined  in  the  witches'  dance 
at  midnight  under  a  blasted  oak. 

As  their  wretched  husbands  saw  them  led  to  the 
stake,  they  rushed  forward  to  the  King  and  falling 
on  their  knees,  called  Heaven  to  witness  that,  at 

*  See  "  Satan's  Invisible  World,"  by  the  Rev.  G.  Sinclair. 
9 


130  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

the  time  stated,  their  wives  were  fast  asleep  in  their 
arms.  But  it  was  all  in  vain  ;  for  the  Chief  of 
the  Dervishes  told  the  men  they  had  been  deceived 
(poor  simpletons !)  by  Satan  and  their  own  senses. 
"They  had,"  said  the  learned  and  holy  Priest, 
"only  the  semblance  of  their  wives  in  their  beds, 
and  not  their  wives  themselves ;  for  it  was  a  three- 
legged  stool  that  the  hags  had  witched  to  assume 
their  form  while  they  were  far  away  under  the  oak, 
dancing  with  toads."* 

And  so,  poor  souls  !  they  too  were  burned  alive 
and  quick,  and  their  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds. 

Then  were  dragged  forth,  mother,  father  and 
daughter,t  all  to  be  burned  beside  each  other. 
And,  while  they  lashed  the  old  man  to  the  stake, 
he  turned  to  his  wife  and  railed  at  her,  cursing  her 
for  having,  in  her  madness,  sworn  away  his  and 
their  daughter's  life.  And,  as  he  gnashed  his  teeth, 
he  cried  aloud.  "  A  plague  of  God  light  upon  thee, 
mother  !  for  thou  art  she  that  hath  brought  us  all 
to  this,  and  we  may  thank  thee  for  it,  thou  heart- 
less hag !" 

While  they  bound  the  daughter,  the  Dervish  who 
stood  near — exhorting  her  in  vain  to  confess  her 
sins — took  pity  on  the  youth  and  beauty  of  the 
trembling  girl,  and  urged  her,  as  the  torch  was 
borne  toward  her,  to  plead  pregnancy,  that  she 

*  Decision  of  the  Archbishop  at  Piedmont. 

t  Mother  Samuel,  her  Husband  and  her  daughter  Agnes. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  131 

might  gain,  at  least,  a  respite  from  death.  But 
the  timid  girl  made  heroic  by  the  love  of  virtue, 
cried  proudly,  as  the  red  blood  rushed  back  to  her 
white  cheeks,  "  No !  it  shall  never  be  said  I  was 
witch  and  wanton  too." 

And  so  the  noble  maid,  her  father  and  her  crazy 
mother  were  all  burned  alive  and  quick,  and  their 
ashes  scattered  to  the  winds. 

At  length  it  came  to  Anthy's  turn ;  and  then  a 
wilder  and  more  savage  shriek  than  had  hailed  the 
torture  of  any  yet,  was  sent  up  to  Heaven  at  the 
prospect  of  her  death.  Still  the  mad  mob  howled 
their  curses  at  her  unheard,  for  there  the  chastened 
Blind  Girl  stood,  her  soul  away  in  Heaven  before 
its  time,  pleading  mutely  with  her  Maker  for  the 
forgiveness  of  herself  and  her  enemies. 

The  executioner  piled  the  dry  reeds  and  fagots 
high  around  her  body;  but,  lost  in  prayer,  Anthy 
heeded  him  not. 

The  Dervish  called  upon  her  again  and  again  to 
confess  the  justice  of  her  sentence,  and  own  herself 
a  witch ;  but  still,  lost  in  prayer  she  heard  him  not. 

Then  the  multitude  waved  toand  fro,  in  their 
fury  at  what  they  thought  the  wicked  stubbornness 
of  the  young  Hag  ;  and  the  sky  was  rent  with  the 
clamor  of  their  cries,  as  again  and  again  they  bade 
the  executioner  do  his  work.  And  the  man  of 
death,  in  obedience  to  the  cries,  held  down  his 
torch,  to  fire  the  reeds. 


the    Sixteenth,. 


REATHLESS   with   his   fears 
and  haste,  Huan  reached  the  sum- 
t  of  the  hill  which  overlooked 
•the  fatal   field.      "Thank   Hea- 
iven!    some  still   live,"  he   cried, 
and,  gaining  new  vigor  from  the 
sight,  he  hurried  on. 

Suddenly  his  eye  fell  upon  the  figure  of  the  gentle 
victim,  who  stood  smiling  at  death,  as  if  weary  of 
the  world,  and  longing  for  that  blessed  sleep  from 
which  she  knew  she  would  rise  with  new  life  in 
the  morning. 

In  the  quickness  of  his  love,  Huan  felt  it  was  his 
sister  Anthy ;  and,  with  a  wild  shriek  of  horror, 
fell  to  the  Earth. 

Then,  as  he  knelt,  he  prayed  with  all  the  zeal 
of  his  bitter  agony,  that  the  Spirit  of  Kindness 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  133 

would  look  down  with  pity  upon  men  and  so  en- 
lighten their  understandings  that,  seeing  the  won- 
drous mechanism  of  Creation,  they  might  know 
that  He  who  made  the  world  moved  and  governed 
it  by  wiser  and  more  kindly  laws  than  they,  in  their 
darkness  imagined. 

And  the  blessed  Spirit  of  Kindness  heard  the 
prayer ;  and  the  work  of  destruction  was  stayed, 
and  Anthy  and  her  poor  crazy  companions  in  death 
were  spared. 

For,  as  Huan  gazed  on  the  plain  beneath,  and 
beheld  the  executioner  hold  down  his  torch,  to  fire 
the  reeds,  he  saw  the  fagots,  as  they  kindled,  send 
up  a  smoke  so  dense,  that  men  were  blinded  by  it. 
And  the  fumes  of  the  witch-fires  hung  above  the 
city  like  a  black  cloud  till  darkness  overshadowed 
all  the  land. 

Presently,  the  sun  shone  high  above,  and, 
piercing  the  thick  fog,  a  beam  of  blessed  light 
struggled  through  the  universal  gloom.  And, 
when  the  first  ray  fell  on  Earth,  the  people  shut 
their  eyes,  and  turned  from  its  dazzling  bright- 
ness, blinking  at  the  unknown  light  as  if,  instead 
of  the  smiling  Earth,  they  had  been  living  in  a 
dungeon. 

Then,  as  the  magic  went  on,  and  ray  after  ray  shot 
down  from  above,  the  mist  gave  way  before  them ; 
and,  as  the  sun  shone  full  upon  the  demon-fires, 


134  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

one  by  one  they  died  away,  till  the  world,  which 
but  a  little  while  since  was  red  with  the  glare  of 
bloody  flames,  was  now  golden  with  the  light  of 
Heaven. 

And  then  the  unburnt  fagots  began  to  bud  with 
a  new  life,  and  the  stake  and  gibbet  to  put  forth 
boughs  and  leaves,  each  growing  and  growing  till 
a  mighty  tree,  laden  with  the  daintiest  fruits,  stood 
luxuriant  with  life,  where  the  ghastly  beam  of 
death  had  lately  been. 

At  first,  men  looked  with  fear  upon  the  tree  and 
dreaded  to  touch  it ;  for  they  said,  "It  is  the  evil 
Tree  of  Knowledge,  and  will  destroy  them  that  eat 
of  it." 

Still  many  hungered  for  the  food,  but  the  Priests 
strove  to  keep  them  back  ;  while  those  that,  de- 
spite their  pious  threats,  dared  to  gather  the  fruit, 
they  branded  as  blasphemers,  and  put  a  mark  upon 
them,  so  that  their  neighbors  might  shun  them — 
as  they  would  serpents — for  the  poison  of  their 
tongues. 

But  at  last  all  men  grew  greedy  for  the  fruit 
of  the  goodly  tree ;  and  those  that  feasted  on 
it  had  the  film  taken  from  their  eyes,  and  the 
wonders  and  the  beauty  of  the  universe  were  laid 
bare  to  them  ;  for  they  saw  into  the  remotest 
corners  of  space  and  the  deepest  depths  of  the 
earth  and  the  sea.  And  the  minds  of  the  wisest 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  135 

entered  and  pervaded  the  minds  of  their  less-gifted 
brethren,  till  men  learned  to  read  with  kindlier 
eyes  the  hearts  and  brains  of  their  fellow-men. 
And,  while  the  feasters  partook  of  the  blessed  fruit 
themselves,  they  gave  freely  to  all  around,  and 
yet  were  the  richer  rather  than  the  poorer  for 
the  gift. 

Then  as  the  magic  still  went  on,  the  prison 
gates  were  flung  open,  and  herds  of  wild  and 
savage  beasts  rushed  out,  scaring  the  populace 
before  them.  And,  as  they  ate  the  fruit,  the  ani- 
mals grew  human,  and  for  the  first  time  were  rec- 
ognized as  men. 

On  this  the  bars  and  chains  fell  from  the  prison- 
doors  and  windows,  while  the  prisons  themselves 
were  turned  to  hospitals  and  schools ;  and,  where 
before  the  Jailer  and  the  Headsman  had  governed 
and  destroyed,  the  Teacher  and  the  Doctor  guided 
and  healed. 

Then,  as  the  crazy  things,  freed  from  the 
stake  were  taken  to  the  hospitals,  the  children 
of  the  poor  were  gathered  from  the  streets  and 
bye  ways,  to  be  led  to  the  schools.  The  orphan, 
the  foundling  and  the  outcast — the  children  of 
want  and  the  children  of  crime — the  cleanly  and 
the  ragged — all  found  shelter,  knowledge,  and  good 
counsel  there. 

And  Huan  blessed  the  Spirit  of  Kindness  for  the 


136 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


goodly  work,  and  the  people  laughed  and  wept  for 
very  joy  ;  for  they  saw  God — Nature — and  their 
fellow-creatures  in  a  new  guise. 


lh.e    Qevenleentlj. 


OW  when  the  King  saw  the  ma- 
gic change  that  had  been  wrought 
in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  his  peo- 
ple, his  joy  knew  no  bounds,  and 
he  cried,  "It  is  the  Dwarf  that 
hath  done  it  all !  Go,  bring  him 
and  his  blind  sister  to  me,  that  I  may  do  honor  to 
them  and  supplicate  their  pardon." 

But  Huan  and  Anthy  were  away,  weeping  over 
their  raving  father  ;  and,  when  the  message  of  the 
King  was  brought  them,  they  said,  "Ay,  let  us 
straightway  go  to  him,  and  at  his  feet  beseech  him 
to  take  the  galling  chains  from  the  poor  old  man's 
limbs."  So  they  hastened  into  the  presence  of 
the  King.  And  immediately,  when  Ulphilas  saw 
them,  he  cast  himself  at  their  feet,  imploring  their 
forgiveness.  Huan  raised  him  up  ;  and  then  the 


138  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

old  Monarch  folded  them  in  his  arms,  and  praising 
God  that  their  lives  had  been  spared,  called  them 
his  dear  children,  till  his  tears  choked  his  words. 

Then  he  commanded  Huan  and  his  sister  to  say 
how  the  people  and  their  King  could  pay  the  heavy 
debt  of  gratitude  they  owed  them  ;  and  he  told 
them  to  speak  boldly,  "  for  all  that  he  could  give 
them,"  he  said,  "  would  not  be  a  tithe  of  their  due." 

And  he  bade  Anthy  be  the  first  to  name  the 
reward  she  wished.  Whereupon,  the  Blind  Girl, 
true  to  her  new  nature,  besought  the  King  that  he 
would  liberate  her  maniac  father  from  his  chains. 

But  Ulphilas  answered  her  not ;  and  turned  to 
Huau  to  know  the  boon  that  he  desired. 

The  Dwarf,  bowing,  demanded  of  the  King  that 
he  would  remove  the  chains  not  from  one  madman 
only,  but  from  all. 

Then  the  Monarch  grew  sad ;  and,  as  he  turned 
his  head  from  them,  he  replied,  "  Nay,  ask  of  me 
my  richest  province,  and  it  shall  be  yours.  You 
know  not  the  danger  of  what  you  seek.  Though 
we  have  leamt  we  should  not  take  the  lives  of  the 
mad,  still  it  is  but  meet  we  should  bind  them, 
lest,  in  their  madness,  they  take  ours." 

But  Huan  urged  that,  though  the  insane  were 
deaf  to  reason,  they  were  not  dead  to  feeling ;  say- 
ing, kindness  spake  to  the  heart  and  not  to  the 
head.  And  he  reminded  Ulphilas  that  their  work 
of  mercy  was  but  half  complete.  They  had  remov- 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  13i) 

ed  the  maniacs  from  the  stake  to  the  hospital,  it 
was  true  ;  but  though  they  had  learnt  to  save 
them  from  the  felon's  death,  still  they  had  yet  to 
learn  to  strip  them  of  the  felon's  chains. 

But  Ulphilas,  as  Huan  entreated  him  to  have 
faith  in  Kindness,  and  grant  him  the  boon  he  ask- 
ed, told  the  Dwarf  again  and  again  that  he  dare 
not  listen  to  him. 

So  Huan  and  his  blind  sister,  both  sad  at  heart, 
returned  to  the  city,  to  forget  the  sorrows  they 
themselves  felt,  in  comforting  the  sorrows  of  others. 

Meanwhile,  the  people  of  Asulon  became  fanat- 
ics in  the  new  creed,  and  almost  worshiped  the 
Dwarf  and  his  sister ;  blessing  them,  as  they  passed 
their  doors,  or  surrounding  them  in  crowds,  and  load- 
ing them  with  presents — so  that  none  ever  receiv- 
ed such  honor  before. 

And  the  gifts  that  the  grateful  people  heaped 
upon  them  Huan  and  Anthy  turned  to  good  also. 
For  Huan  would  bring  back  to  their  homes  the 
wives  that  had  left  their  husbands,  and  Anthy  the 
daughters  that  had  fled  from  their  fathers ;  while 
each,  to  make  the  return  more  welcome,  would 
add  the  presents  they  had  received,  and  so  re-estab- 
lish love  and  good-will  between  those  that  lived 
unhappily ;  till  at  length  people  would  guard  as  a 
treasure  the  cup  from  which  the  Dwarf  or  his  blind 
sister  had  sipped,  for  every  where  they  were  wel- 
comed as  the  Peacemakers. 


140  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Then  the  Priests,  embracing,  in  their  turn,  the 
new  creed  of  Kindness,  and  feeling  for  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  people,  from  the  arrogance  and  rapacity 
of  the  nobles,  strove  to  promote  universal  love  and 
good-will,  by  establishing  throughout  the  land  a  holy 
covenant,  which  they  called  "The  Truce  of  God;" 
by  which  men  bound  themselves  by  oath  not  to 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  property  usurped  from  others, 
nor  to  take  revenge  for  any  injury ;  nor,  above  all, 
to  use  any  deadly  weapon  against  their  fellow-creat- 
ure. And  thousands  flocked  to  swear  observance 
to  it ;  for,  in  rewa.rd,  the  Priests  promised  them  a 
resting-place  in  Paradise  and  universal  peace  on 
Earth. 

And  so  the  nobles  ceased  to  war  among  them- 
selves, and  the  poor  were  no  longer  oppressed,  while 
over  each  man's  door  the  Olive  branch  was  hung, 
in  token  of  his  reverence  for  "  The  Truce  of  God." 

In  the  midst  of  the  peace  the  trump  of  war  was 
heard,  and  the  host  that  Aleph  had  led  forth  was 
seen  returning  over  the  distant  hills.  But  their 
banners  were  hung  down,  their  drums  were  muf- 
fled, and  each  man's  head  dropped  upon  his  breast  as 
he  marched  along  ;  for  they  grieved  for  the  young 
Prince  their  leader,  who  had  been  wounded  in  the 
strife  ;  and  they  feared  his  days  were  numbered. 

Then  the  whole  city,  as  the  sad  news  was  spread 
abroad,  streamed  from  their  houses,  and  followed 
the  troops,  sorrowing  for  the  young  warrior,  whose 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  141 

valor  when  a  boy  they  had  almost  worshiped. 
And,  as  they  marched  silently  after  the  soldiers, 
each  man  cursed  within  himself  the  ghastly  trade 
of  war. 

When  the  mournful  tidings  reached  Ulphilas' 
ears,  he  ran  to  meet  his  dying  boy,  and  wept  over 
him,  saying,  "  Woe  to  my  gray  hairs  !  woe  to  my 
people  !  And  must  the  prop  of  my  old  age  be 
dashed  from  under  me,  and  the  hope  of  the  nation 
be  blighted,  when  the  harvest-time  was  near  ?" 

But,  though  there  was  much  sorrowing  for  Aleph, 
none  sorrowed  more  than  she  who  had  suffered  the 
most  from  him ;  for  Anthy,  now  that  Aleph's  life 
was  in  peril,  felt  all  her  love  for  him  return,  and, 
forgetting  the  wrong  he  had  done  her,  she  thought 
of  him  only  as  the  generous  boy  that  had  won  her 
girlish  heart.  And  she  besought  Evoe  that  she 
might  tend  upon  him  in  his  hour  of  danger ;  so 
that,  with  a  woman's  gentle  hand,  she  might  strive 
to  hold  back  the  life  that  struggled  to  be  gone. 

And,  when  her  prayer  was  granted,  she  sat  day 
and  night  beside  the  Prince,  thanking  God  that, 
in  the  delirium  of  his  fever,  he  knew  not  the  hand 
that  dressed  his  wound  and  bathed  his  burning 
brow.  Then,  as  those  skilled  in  medicine  came, 
she  would  listen  breathlessly  to  each  word  they 
spake,  and  beg  of  them,  ere  they  went,  to  tell  her 
that  all  hope  was  not  yet  fled,  and  that  by  care 
his  life  might  yet  be  saved. 


142  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

And,  when  they  turned  away  and  ansAvered  her 
not,  she  would  return  to  Aleph's  couch,  to  tend  him 
with  redoubled  tenderness,  so  that  her  love  might 
compass  that  which  their  art  would  fail  in. 

But  still  Anthy  tended  him  in  vain ;  for,  de- 
spite her  care,  the  wound  grew  worse,  and  Aleph, 
with  the  torment  of  it,  knew  no  rest.  Each  day 
the  doctors  told  the  King  that  the  Prince  must  lose 
his  arm  or  die  ;  yet,  when  the  downcast  Ulphilas 
bade  them  save  his  son  and  take  it,  they  would 
answer  that  they  dare  not  yet  awhile,  for  if  they 
took  it  then,  the  youth  would  surely  perish. 

As  Anthy  heard  the  sick  Aleph  moan  and  writhe 
with  his  pangs  day  after  day,  and  night  after  night 
knowing  neither  rest  nor  sleep,  she  bethought  her 
of  her  brother's  magic  power.  So  she  sent  for 
Huan,  and  on  her  knees  begged  of  him  to  have 
mercy  on  her  and  him  she  loved,  saying,  "  If  kind- 
ness be,  as  you  have  taught  us,  all-powerful  like 
the  God  from  whom  it  springs,  O  let  it — like  Him 
wrho  sent  blessed  sleep,  to  give  new  life  to  Man 
and  ease  him  of  his  pains — teach  men  the  way  to 
give  slumber  to  the  suffering,  and  rob  nature  of  its 
bitterest  agony. 

And  Huan  took  pity  on  the  poor  girl,  and 
besought  the  Spirit  to  grant  her  prayer. 

Immediately  an  invisible  vapor  arose,  and,  cir- 
cling round  the  Prince,  bathed  him  in  its  blessed 
atmosphere.  Then  his  eyelids  drooped,  while  his 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  143 

groans  died  away,  and  he  whose  torments  had  let 
him  know  no  rest  for  weeks,  lay  wrapt  in  the 
happy  ease  of  slumber.  And,  as  he  slept,  the 
shattered  arm  was  taken  from  him,  without  a  sigh 
to  tell  of  suffering. 

And  when,  at  night,  Aleph  woke  from  out  his 
trance,  and  found  the  aching  limb  was  gone,  he 
called  down  blessings  on  all  around  for  the  holy 
rest  he  felt. 

Then,  as  he  asked  for  water,  he  saw  by  the  dim 
light  of  his  chamber  the  figure  of  the  Blind  Girl 
standing,  cup  in  hand,  beside  him,  in  instant 
answer  to  his  wants.  And,  as  the  doom  that  he 
had  cast  upon  her  flashed  across  his  guilty  mind, 
he  thought  the  Spirit  of  the  girl  had  come  down 
from  Heaven  to  rebuke  him  for  the  cruel  death  he 
had  condemned  her  to  ;  for,  on  the  face  of  her, 
whose  worst  enemy  he  had  been,  there  shone  so 
sweet  a  smile,  and  in  the  cup  she  bore,  Aleph  read 
so  loving  a  reproach,  that  she  seemed  one  of  the 
angel-host  flown  back  to  Earth  to  pay  with  good 
the  evil  he  had  heaped  upon  her. 

And,  softened  by  the  sickness,  Aleph  wept,  and 
begged  forgiveness  of  the  heavenly  Spirit  that  stood 
beside  him,  praying  her,  for  the  love  she  once  had 
borne  him,  and  that  he  had  flung  aside,  to  mend 
his  heart  and  so  watch  over  him  in  this  world,  that 
he  might  be  fit  to  meet  her  in  the  next. 

Then  Anthy  blessed  the  sufTerings  she  had  un- 


144  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

dergone,  for  the  rich  reward  they  had  brought  her  ; 
and  thought  herself  more  than  paid  for  the  bitter 
cruelty  of  Aleph's  hate,  in  the  return  of  Aleph's 
love.  And  she  could  not  speak,  for  the  tears  of  joy 
that  streamed  down  her  face. 

And,  when  the  repentant  Prince  discovered  that 
it  was  Anthy  herself,  and  learnt  from  his  sister  how 
she  had  tended  him  in  his  anguish,  the  gratitude 
he  felt  for  all  her  loving  care  made  him  see  the 
kindly  girl  more  beauteous  than  ever ;  for  the  pure 
light  of  her  chastened  spirit  shone  from  out  the  face 
whose  beauty  had  fled — like  a  glow-worm  beneath 
a  flower  in  the  night.  And  his  affection  for  her 
returned  with  a  tenfold  strength  and  truth ;  for  his 
boyish  passion  now  over,  his  manly  love  began. 
And  he  besought  her  to  let  him  atone  for  the 
wrongs  that  he  had  done  her,  by  making  good  the 
vows  that  he  alone  had  broken,  and  so  give  back 
the  honor  that  she,  in  the  faith  of  her  love,  had 
trusted  to  his  keeping. 

But  Anthy,  though  her  heart  swelled  with  joy 
at  the  healing  words  she  heard,  still  would  not 
listen  to  his  entreaties,  for  she  said  "  it  was  too  late 
now  ;"  and  she  bade  him  think  of  her  as  one  dead, 
and  look  upon  her  as  one  new  risen  from  the  tomb 
of  her  own  honor.  "  Her  new  life,"  she  told  him, 
"  was  wedded  to  Charity,  and  henceforth  she  could 
love  him  only  as  she  loved  all  those  that  suffered 
and  were  chastened  by  their  sufferings. 


Chapter   l!)e    eighteenth. 


O  sooner  was  it  known  through- 
out Asulon  that  Prince  Aleph's 
life  had  been  saved  through  the 
prayers  and  tender  care  of  her 
whom  he  had  sought  to  destroy, 
than  the  love  of  the  people  for 
the  Blind  Girl  grew  greater  than  ever ;  and  they 
got  to  look  upon  her  as  a  saint,  and  one  whose 
touch  gave  health  and  whose  councils  happiness. 
And,  as  the  wonder  of  the  cure  was  magnified, 
as  it  traveled  from  house  to  house,  people  grew 
to  place  such  faith  in  her  powers,  that  women 
would  stop  one  another  in  the  market-streets  to 
speak  of  some  new  miracle  she  had  wrought ; 
and  gossips  would  run  into  their  neighbors'  houses 
to  tell,  with  uplifted  hands  and  brows,  of  the  last 
new  marvel  rumor  attributed  to  her. 
10 


HG  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

At  length  it  was  whispered  through  the  city  that 
Anthy,  grateful  for  the  happiness  she  knew,  had 
resolved  to  thank  God  at  the  Prophet's  Tomb  for 
the  sparing  of  that  life  which  was  more  precious  to 
her  than  her  own.  And,  as  the  time  drew  near  for 
the  starting  of  the  Caravan,  the  Dervishes  called 
upon  those  that  had  not  yet  made  the  pilgrimage 
to  Medina,  to  put  on  the  woolen  garb  and  accom- 
pany the  holy  maid. 

Then  the  people,  glad  to  make  atonement  for  the 
wrongs  they  had  heaped  upon  the  Blind  Girl,  re- 
solved to  seek  forgiveness  and  offer  up  prayers  for 
An  thy' s  welfare  at  the  Prophet's  Tomb;  and, 
where  at  other  times  men  paid  the  hireling 
pilgrims  to  make  the  long  and  painful  journey  for 
them,  they  now  refused  with  scorn  the  purchase  of 
their  prayers,  but,  full  of  enthusiasm,  set  the  dan- 
ger and  hardships  of  the  way  at  defiance,  and  pre- 
pared to  make  the  pilgrimage  themselves. 

Each  day  the  Mosques  were  crowded  with  those 
that  sought  a  blessing  of  the  Priests  before  setting 
out  upon  their  pious  journey ;  and  each  day  the 
number  of  the  pilgrims  so  increased,  that  they  were 
called  the  "Army  of  the  Lord." 

As  the  time  of  their  departure  drew  near,  all 
Asulon  was  in  commotion,  preparing  to  forsake 
their  homes,  kindred  and  occupation,  so  that,  at  the 
Prophet's  Tomb,  they  might  lighten  themselves  of 
the  heavy  burthen  of  their  sins.  And  such  was  the 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  147 

fanatic  fury  of  the  city,  that  not  a  meteor  shot 
across  the  heavens  but  the  people  viewed  it  as  a 
warning  to  those  who  lagged  behind,  and  the  next 
day  an  hundred  more  made  ready  to  swell  the  holy 
band. 

And,  when  the  day  of  leaving  came,  the  Chief 
of  the  Dervishes  led  the  pilgrim-troop  from  the  city, 
and  Ulphilas,  with  the  Prince  and  Huan  by  his 
side,  went  with  them  as  well.  And,  as  the  mul- 
titude moved  along,  people  came  from  their  houses 
to  cry,  "Heaven  guard  the  holy  pilgrims!"  and 
touch  the  garment  of  her  who  led  them.  And  they 
would  beg  of  those  they  knew  among  the  band,  to 
bring  them  water  from  the  Holy  Well,  or  mold 
from  the  blessed  tomb,  to  keep  as  charmed  relics 
within  their  houses. 

.  And  among  the  multitude  were  people  of  all 
classes ;  men,  women,  and  even  children,  trudged 
along  in  droves.  Some  had  camels  bearing  tents, 
and  others  mules  laden  with  provisions  for  the  way  ; 
while  others  had  nothing,  trusting  to  charity  and 
the  berries  that  ripened  by  the  road-side  for  their 
subsistence. 

And  the  King  and  the  High  Priest  journeyed 
with  them  one  day.  And,  on  the  morning  of  the 
second  the  Dervish  blessed  the  multitude,  and 
Aleph  commanded  his  chosen  band  of  Mamelukes 
to  accompany  the  caravan  and  protect  it,  as  it 
traversed  the  lands  of  the  barbarian  tribes  ;  while 


148  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

TJlphilas  pressed  the  Blind  Girl  and  her  brother  to 
his  bosom,  and,  weeping  over  them,  bade  all  his 
people  love  and  honor  them  as  his  children.  And 
then,  bidding  the  pilgrims  "  God  speed,"  he  return- 
ed with  Huan  and  the  Prince,  sorrowing,  to  the 
city,  while  the  mighty  multitude  marched  on, 
chanting  in  one  loud,  solemn  voice,  the  praises  of 
the  Lord. 

But  scarcely  had  two  weeks  passed,  when  tidings 
were  brought  to  Asulon  that  a  wandering  horde 
had  swept  down  upon  the  pilgrim-band,  and, 
slaughtering  the  Mamelukes,  had  carried  off  Anthy 
and  her  unarmed  companions. 

At  first,  the  city,  gave  no  credit  to  the  news. 
But  they  had  little  time  for  doubt ;  for,  presently, 
there  carne  a  holy  Welee — one  that  had  journeyed 
with  the  multitude — his  heart  big  with  indigna- 
tion at  the  insults  they  had  suffered.  And  in 
every  village  through  which  he  passed  he  preached 
the  story  of  their  wrongs  so  touchingly,  and  called 
for  justice  on  the  heathen  in  such  stirring  tones, 
that  multitudes  flocked  from  their  houses,  to  listen 
to  him  as  he  carne  ;  and,  fired  with  his  eloquence, 
followed  him  when  he  went.  So  he  entered  the 
city  with  thousands  in  his  train,  each  man  calling 
as  lustily  as  their  leader  for  the  blood  of  their  hea- 
then foes. 

The  Welee  bent  his  way  to  the  Mosque,  and 
sought  out  the  Dervishes.  And,  as  he  told  them 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDiNESS.  149 

how  the  defenseless  pilgrims  had  been  plundered 
and  beaten  with  stripes  and  their  countrymen  mas- 
sacred as  they  slept — and  how  the  Olive-branch 
had  been  spat  upon,  and  the  holy  symbols  of  their 
religion  trampled  under  foot — the  fury  of  the  Priests 
knew  no  bounds,  and  they  all  cried  aloud  for  ven- 
geance against  the  Pagan  hordes. 

And  the  Chief  of  the  Dervishes  wept,  and  bade 
his  holy  brethren  each  go  preach  the  story  of  the 
pilgrims'  wrongs,  so  that  the  whole  country  might 
be  roused  and  the  heathen  be  rooted  out  of  the 
land. 

And  immediately  he  summoned  a  council  to 
make  all  preparation  for  the  Holy  War.  And 
he  sat  with  closed  doors  for  seven  days,  while 
multitudes  from  far  and  near  flocked  into  the 
town  to  hear  the  pious  Chief  hold  forth  to  the 
people. 

And  they  came  in  such  vast  numbers,  that  the 
fields  around  were  encumbered  with  those  who, 
unable  to  procure  lodging  in  the  city,  pitched  their 
tents  under  the  trees  and  by  the  way-side,  till  the 
whole  country  seemed  as  one  vast  camp. 

The  great  square  in  front  of  the  Mosque  became 
each  instant  more  and  more  crowded,  as  the  time 
drew  nigh  when  the  Chief  Dervish  was  to  exhort 
the  multitude. 

At  length  the  holy  Chief  came  forth,  snrround- 
ed  by  all  the  Priests  and  Welees  of  the  city, 


150  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

and,  as  he  lifted  up  his  hands,  every  voice  was 
hushed. 

He  told  the  listening  thousands  of  the  miseries 
of  the  pilgrims ;  and,  as  the  populace  groaned,  he 
cried  aloud,  "  You  who  hear  me — you  who  have 
received  the  true  faith,  and  been  endowed  by  Allah 
with  power  and  strength  and  greatness  of  soul,  I 
call  upon  you  to  stop  the  progress  of  the  Infidel, 
and  wipe  out  these  impurities  from  the  face  of 
the  Earth.  O,  brave  people  !  offspring  of  invincible 
fathers  !  you  will  not  disgrace  your  ancient  blood  ! 
Go  !  forget  the  ties  of  father,  wife,  and  little  ones. 
— Go  !  armed  with  the  sword  and  the  Book  of 
Life,  and  teach  these  barbarous  Pagans  the  blessed 
doctrines  of  peace  arid  loving-kindness  among  men. 
Go,  then,  in  expiation  of  your  sins,  convert  the  hea- 
then, and  rest  assured  that  imperishable  glory  shall 
be  yours  in  the  world  that  is  to  come."* 

Then  the  crowd,  moved  by  the  words  of  the 
Dervish,  shouted  with  one  voice,  "  God  wills  it ! 
God  wills  it !" 

And  when  the  Dervish  heard  the  cry,  he  turned 
to  the  multitude,  and  said,  "  It  is  Allah  that  speaks, 
within  you  !  If  Allah  had  not  been  in  your  souls, 
ye  would  not  all  have  cried  the  same  cry.  It  was 
Allah  that  spake  the  words  by  your  lips.  It  was 
Allah  that  put  the  words  into  your  hearts.  Be 
that  cry,  then,  your  war-cry  in  the  combat.  And, 

*  Speech  of  Pope  Urban  at  the  Council  of  Clermont. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  151 

when  the  army  of  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful, 
rushes  upon  its  foes,  to  teach  them  the  blessings  of 
brotherly  love,  cry  but  that  one  cry,  '  God  wills  it ! 
God  wills  it  !'  "* 

And  the  men,  women,  and  children  echoed  the 
words,  and  cried  again,  with  one  loud,  furious 
voice — 

"  Ay,  God  wills  it !  God  wills  it !" 

"And  whosoever,"  continued  the  Dervish,  "is 
ready  to  bind  himself  to  this  holy  cause,  let  him 
bear  upon  his  breast  the  sign  of  the  Olive-branch, 
as  a  token  of  the  peaceful  doctrines  he  would 
spread  over  the  whole  world.f  And  let  every  man 
who  wears  this  blessed  badge  outside  his  heart, 
carry  within  it  this  one  resolve,  '  Death  or  new  life 
to  the  heathen  !" 

And  once  more  the  war-cry  rose,  and  once  more 
the  air  resounded  with  the  shout  of  "  God  wills  it ! 
God  wills  it !" 

Then  immediately  the  rich,  the  needy,  the  dis- 
solute, the  prudent,  the  young  and  old — even  wo- 
men and  children,  and  the  halt  and  the  lame — 
enrolled  themselves  by  thousands  under  the  banner 
of  the  Lord. 

But  the  zeal  of  none  in  all  that  zealous  multi- 
tude, was  greater  than  the  zeal  of  Aleph ;  for  he, 
moved  by  the  Priests  and  fired  by  his  own  love, 

*  Speech  of  Pope  Urban  at  the  Council  of  Clerraont. 
f   Ibid. 


152  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

felt  a  double  ardor  in  the  cause.  And  he  vowed 
that  he  himself  would  lead  the  people  on,  and — if 
Anthy  still  lived — either  rescue  her  from  her  savage 
foes,  or  lose  the  life  that  she  had  saved. 

In  every  village  the  clergy  were  busy,  promising 
eternal  bliss  to  those  who  fought  for  the  glory  of 
the  Olive-branch,  and  denouncing  all  those  who 
refused  or  even  hesitated  to  raise  the  sword  in  its 
defense. 

Every  debtor  who  joined  the  sacred  host  was 
freed  from  the  claims  of  the  creditor,  however  just ; 
and  no  man  who  wore  the  sign  of  the  Olive-branch 
could  be  stayed  for  any  crime,  even  though  it  were 
robbery  or  murder.* 

And  it  was  agreed  that  a  tax,  called  the  "  Pa- 
gans'-tithe,"  and  consisting  of  a  tenth-part  of  all 
possessions,  should  be  enforced  from  every  believer 
who  was  either  unable  or  unwilling  to  help  root 
the  heathen  out  of  the  land  ;  while  those  who  re- 
fused or  could  not  pay  the  penalty,  were  to  become 
the  bondsmen  and  absolute  property  of  the  noble 
on  whose  ground  they  lived. t 

Among  all  classes  of  men  the  Priests  preached 
"  Death  to  the  Infidel."  One  Welee  went  through 
the  villages,  announcing  that  the  Prophet,  in  a 
vision,  had  bidden  him  stir  up  the  shepherds  and 
tillers  of  the  soil  to  the  defense  of  the  true  Faith. 

*  Mackay's  Popular  Delusions,  vol.  ii.  p.  109. 

f   "  Saladin's  Tithe,"  instituted  by  Philip  Augustus. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  153 

And  thousands  flocked  around  him,  ready  to  follow 
him  wherever  he  should  lead ;  so  that  the  pastures 
and  the  corn  fields  were  deserted,  and  the  sheep 
were  left  to  stray  from  the  fold,  and  the  ripe  corn 
to  rot  in  the  field.* 

Another  Welee  traversed  the  country,  preaching 
to  the  children,  till  the  young  became  fired  like  the 
old;  and,  raising  mimic  banners  of  the  Olive- 
branch,  would  range  themselves,  both  boys  and 
girls,  in  battle  order,  and,  armed  with  sticks  instead 
of  swords,  march  on,  shouting  aloud  the  war-cry  of 
"  God  wills  it !  God  wills  it  !"t 

Nor  did  the  women  escape  the  fury  of  the  time. 
Numbers,  thirsting,  like  their  husbands  and  their 
lovers,  for  the  blood  of  the  heathen,  prepared  to 
follow  them  to  the  war.  And  the  most  devout  of 
the  women  put  on  armor  and  rode  their  horses  like 
men.  And  they  were  headed  by  a  female  chief 
chosen  from  among  themselves,  and  called,  "the 
golden-footed  lady,"  from  the  gilt  spurs  she  wore.J 
And  such  was  the  enthusiasm  of  the  whole  sex 
that  many  of  them  pricked  the  sign  of  the  Olive- 
branch  upon  their  arms,  and  colored  the  wound 
with  a  green  dye,  as  a  lasting  memorial  of  their 
zeal  for  the  holy  war ;  while  others,  still  more 
zealous,  did  the  same  on  the  tender  limbs  of  their 

*  Millet's  Elemens  de  1'Histoire  de  France. 

t  Mill's  History  of  Crusaders. 

t  Mackay's  Popular  delusions,  vol.  ii.  p.  94. 


154  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

young  children,  and  even  the  infants  at  their 
breasts.* 

And  all  that  had  property  of  any  description, 
hurried  to  change  it  into  money,  wherewith  to  huy 
their  arms.  Lands  and  houses  were  sold  for  what 
at  other  times  had  been  merely  the  rental  of  them, 
while  weapons  of  war  and  suits  of  mail  were  bought 
for  sums  that  would  have  endowed  a  charity.  The 
nobles  mortgaged  their  estates  for  mere  trifles  to 
Jews,  and  melted  down  their  plate,  to  furnish  sup- 
plies for  the  war.  Women  sold  their  trinkets  to 
raise  a  troop  to  slay  the  heathen.  And  the  farmer 
sold  his  plough  and  the  artisan  his  tools,  to  purchase 
a  saber  for  the  deliverance  of  the  pilgrims,  and  the 
conversion  of  the  Pagan. t 

Then  as  the  day  drew  near  for  the  assembling 
of  all  the  troops,  the  roads  were  flooded  with  the 
mighty  human  tide,  rolling  on  to  the  place  of  meet- 
ing. Who  shall  tell  the  children  and  the  aged  that 
hastened  along  to  destroy  the  heathen  ?  Who  shall 
count  the  mothers  and  the  maidens  that  longed  for 
the  fight? 

And  there  were  a  thousand  strange  sights  to  be 
seen  by  the  way  ; — the  poor  shoeing  their  oxen  and 
harnessing  them  to  carts,  and  placing  their  children 
and  scanty  provisions  in  them,  and  then  leaving 
house  and  home,  to  go  slay  the  Pagan ;  while,  as 

*  Mackay's  Popular  Delusions,  vol.  ii.  p.  20. 
t  Guibert  de  Nogent. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  155 

they  went,  the  babes,  at  each  troop  they  saw,  would 
demand  eagerly  whether  they  were  the  pagans  they 
were  going  to  slay.*  At  other  parts  of  the  road, 
groups  of  nobles  might  be  seen  traveling  on,  amus- 
ing themselves,  as  they  journeyed,  with  hawk  and 
hound. 

Many  came  down  the  river  in  boats  and  rafts, 
others  trudged  barefoot  along  the  rough  path — all 
hurrying  on,  sword-in-hand,  to  teach  the  heathen  to 
love  their  brethren  as  themselves,  and  thinking  it 
a  sin  deserving  of  the  wrath  of  God  to  let  the  un- 
believer live. 

And  there  was  a  great  jubilee  held  in  Asulon ! 
and  the  chiefs  of  the  blessed  army  were  to  be  pub- 
licly appointed  to  their  different  troops,  and  solemn- 
ly invested  with  the  Holy  Order  of  the  Olive-branch. 
And  the  richest  merchants  and  nobles  of  the  land, 
with  the  King  at  their  head,  and,  led  on  by  the 
Dervishes  and  Welees,  went  in  procession  to  the 
great  Mosque. 

Then,  after  prayers  had  been  chanted,  each  chief 
as  he  was  chosen  approached  the  altar,  and  present- 
ed his  sword  to  the  High  Priest,  who,  taking  it  in 
his  hand,  blessed  and  consecrated  it  to  the  service 
of  the  Lord.t 

Then,  turning  to  the  chosen  chief,  the  Priest  sol- 

*  Guibert  de  Nogent. 

t  Menestrier  de  la  Chevalrie  et  ses  preuves,  chap.  ii. 
and  ix. 


156  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

emnly  warned  him  of  the  difficulties  and  duties  of 
the  holy  order  he  was  about  to  enter,  telling  him 
that  he  who  sought  to  be  a  chief,  and  fight  under 
the  banner  of  the  Olive-branch,  must  vow  never  to 
battle  without  first  offering  up  prayer — nor  to  spare 
either  his  own  blood  or  the  blood  of  others  in  spread- 
ing the  blessed  doctrines  of  peace  and  good-will 
among  all  men.  And  he  must  go  forth,  sword-in- 
hand,  to  make  men  learn  to  reverence  the  lives  of 
others — and  teach  justice  by  injuring  an  hundred- 
fold those  that  dared  to  injure.* 

Then  the  proudest  and  fairest  of  the  maids  of 
Asulon  advanced  and  armed  the  new  chief  one 
buckling  on  his  spurs,  another  placing  the  helmet 
on  his  head,  while  a  third  gave  him  his  spear.t 

And,  when  the  arming  was  finished,  the  noble 
who  acted  as  his  sponsor  in  arms  rose  from  his  seat, 
and  promised  and  vowed  in  the  young  chief's  name 
that  he  should  dedicate  the  sword  to  the  increase 
and  defense  of  the  true  faith.  And  then  he  struck 
him  upon  the  shoulder  with  the  naked  blade,  saying, 
"In  the  name  of  Allah,  the  Compassionate,  the 
Merciful,  I  make  thee  chief — go,  bear  this  blow, 
but  never  bear  another. "$ 

And  when  each  of  the  leaders  had  taken  the  oath 
and  been  invested  with  the  Order  of  the  Olive- 

*  Speech  of  Bishop  of  Valenciennes  to  the  young  Count 
Ostravant. 

t  St.  Palaye.  J  Hartnock,  liber  ii.  chap.  i. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  157 

branch,  Aleph,  angry  to  find  that  all  should  have 
taken  precedence  of  Huan — Anthy's  own  brother — 
drew  his  jeweled  sword  from  its  sheath,  and  gave 
it  to  the  chief  Dervish,  saying,  that  he  himself 
would  be  sponsor  for  the  Dwarf. 

So  the  Priest  called  publicly  upon  Huan  to  come 
forward  and  take  the  oath  and  receive  the  weapon 
blessed  from  his  hands. 

But  Huan,  though  his  heart  bled  for  his  sister's 
fate,  could  not  bear  to  see  the  sign  of  peace  made 
the  symbol  of  war,  aud  refused  to  take  the  weapon, 
telling  the  Dervish  that,  "to  uphold  the  glory  of 
the  Olive-branch,  men  should  break,  rather  than 
worship,  the  sword." 

Then  the  chiefs  grew  indignant  at  the  words,  and 
cried  aloud,  "  Cast  him  forth  !  The  brother  will 
not  succor  the  sister — cast  the  coward  forth !" 

And  the  Dervish  asked  him  a  second  time  to 
come  forward  and  seek  a  blessing  for  his  sword,  and 
a  second  time  Huan  refused,  saying,  "  The  sword 
will  only  drive  the  Pagan  further  from  you,  and 
make  them  more  brutal  even  than  they  now  are. 
If  you  would  force  them  from  their  savage  ways, 
go.  make  a  road  between  them  and  you,  that  you 
may  bring  them  the  closer  to  you,  and  distribute 
among  them  the  knowledge  and  the  blessings  that 
make  you  better  than  they." 

And,  as  the  nobles  laughed  in  scorn  at  what  he 
said,  Huan  told  them  this  parable  : — 


158  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

"  Before  man  was  created,  and  when  the  Heavens 
and  the  Earth  were  without  form  and  void,  God 
made  the  metals.  And  He  locked  them  up  in  cof- 
fers of  stone,  and,  setting  huge  rocks  upon  them, 
buried  them  deep  under  the  ground. 

"First,  He  made  the  yellow  gold — gorgeous  as 
the  sun.  And  the  Angels  cried  aloud,  '  We  praise 
Thee  O  Lord  !  Heaven  and  Earth  are  full  of  the 
majesty  of  thy  glory.' 

"  Then  the  white  silver — chaste  as  the  moon, 
was  made.  And  again  the  angels  cried,  '  We 
praise  Thee,  O  Lord.' 

"  Next  the  copper  was  formed — red  as  the  morn- 
ing. And  once  more  the  angels  cried,  '  Heaven 
and  Earth  are  full  of  the  majesty  of  thy  glory.' 

"  And  then  he  made  the  iron — gray  as  night — 
and  the  lead — in  color  like  the  thunder-cloud.  But 
the  angels  grieved  at  the  sight,  and  were  silent. 

"  And  Peace  bent  down  her  head,  and  weeping, 
cried,  '  Make  them  not,  Merciful  Father !  make 
them  not  !  For,  though  Thou  lockest  them  up  in 
coffers  of  stone  and  hidest  them  in  the  bowels  of 
the  Earth,  Man  will  find  them  out  and  use  them 
to  slay  his  brother ;  and  I  and  my  sister  angels 
will  have  no  resting  place  on  earth.' 

"  But  the  angel  of  Wisdom  rose  up  and  cried, 
'  Make  them,  O  Lord  !  make  them !  for  Man,  after 
a  time,  surfeited  with  slaughter,  shall,  with  the 
iron,  set  a  girdle  round  about  the  Earth,  that  will 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  159 

prove  a  surer  safeguard  than  the  sword,  and  bind 
tribe  with  tribe,  and  nation  with  nation,  till  the 
whole  human  race  shall  be  linked  together  by  it 
into  one  family.  And  the  lead  he  shall  cast  into 
tiny  tongues,  wherewith  the  best  and  wisest  of 
mankind  shall  speak  with  their  distant  brethren 
and  pour  their  minds  into  those  of  their  less-gifted 
neighbors ;  and,  making  their  voice  heard  by  it 
far  beyond  the  cannon's  roar,  shall  tell  the  whole 
world  of  the  wondrous  beauty  and  bounty  of  thy 
works !' . 

"  Then  the  angels,  assenting,  cried  '  Make  them 
make  them,  O  Lord  !  so  that  peace  may  dwell 
among  men  forever,  and  the  Earth  be  full  of  the 
majesty  of  thy  glory  !'  " 

But  the  people  would  hear  no  more ;  and,  seizing 
the  Dwarf,  they  bore  him  from  the  Mosque,  and 
placed  him  on  a  scaffold,  in  the  sight  of  the  assem- 
bled multitudes.  And  they  broke  the  sword  that 
Aleph  had  given  him,  before  Huan's  face ;  and  the 
Olive-branch  was  torn  from  his  hands  and  dragged 
through  the  dirt,  while  the  heralds  proclaimed  his 
ignominy  to  the  world.  Then  the  Chief  thrice  de- 
manded his  name,  and  as  the  herald  each  time 
cried  aloud  "  Huan  the  Dwarf!"  the  Priest  answer- 
ed "  A  base  and  heartless  coward !"  Next  hot 
water  was  poured  upon  his  head  to  wash  away  the 
memory  of  his  honor,  and,  after  that  he  was  placed 
on  a  hurdle  and  drawn  back  to  the  Mosque,  where 


160  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

he  was  covered  with  a  pall  and  the  funeral  prayers 
were  chanted  over  him  as  one  dead  to  glory  and  to 
fame.* 

But  Huan  bore  the  scorn  and  insults  of  the  peo- 
ple without  a  murmur  ;  for  he  only  thought  how 
he  would  go  forth — unarmed — among  his  poor  sis- 
ter's barbarian  foes,  and  teach  them  the  same  doc- 
trines as  had  softened  his  heart,  and  changed  him 
from  the  savage  to  the  man  of  peace.  Ay !  he — 
the  Dwarf — would  go  forth — as  the  Kindly  Spirit 
bade  him — armed  with  his  simple  Olive-branch, 
and,  by  the  very  might  of  his  weakness  and  the 
magic  of  its  peaceful  power,  make  more  glorious 
conquests  among  men  than  with  the  weapon  of 
war. 

Early  on  the  morrow  the  whole  host  encamped 
without  the  city.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
the  meadows  of  Asulon  were  covered  with  tents. 

And  as  all  those  that  joined  the  army  had  been 
promised  by  the  priests  full  remission  of  their  sins, 
thousands  gave  themselves  up  to  the  most  un- 
bounded licentiousness.  The  glutton  feasted  and 
the  drunkard  caroused,  and  the  gambler  played  till 
morn  ;  debauchery  flourished  throughout  the  camp 
— the  vice  being  only  exceeded  by  the  superstition 
of  the  people.  But  the  holiness  of  the  enterprise 
was  to  wipe  out  all  trespasses  ;  for  the  same  eternal 

*  Form  of  Degradation  of  Ancient  Knight — La  Colom- 
biere  Theatre. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  161 

bliss  was  promised  to  the  sensualist  as  to  the  an- 
chorite who  lasted  from  the  rising  to  the  setting 
of  the  sun  ;  and  such  were  the  charms  of  the 
doctrine  for  the  ignorant,  that  the  song  of  volup- 
tuous revelry  and  the  hymn  of  prayer  rose  from 
the  tents  at  the  same  instant.* 

At  last  the  countless  multitude  hegan  their 
march.  At  their  head  went  a  body  of  fanatics, 
who  made  it  a  profession  to  be  without  money  ;  and 
they  walked  barefoot,  and  carried  no  arms,  and 
preceded  even  the  beasts  of  burthen,  living  only 
upon  roots  and  herbs ;  while  their  rags  were  loath- 
some to  look  at.t  Next  came  the  nobles ;  some 
with  bright  armor  inlaid  with  gold  and  silver  and 
shining  in  the  sun  like  figures  of  fire  ;  whilst  others 
on  their  horses,  armed  at  all  points,  looked  like 
statues  of  bronze  ;  then  came  Priests,  habited  in 
the  coarse  wroolen  garb  of  the  pilgrim ;  and  above 
their  heads  floated  their  banners  of  purple  and  gold 
and  rich  colors.  Next  followed  the  Dervishes,  in 
priestly  robes,  with  helmets  on  their  heads  and 
swords  in  their  hands,  each  leading  a  motley  band 
of  armed  merchants  and  peasants  and  laborers. 
After  them,  came  troops  of  women  carrying  their 
children,  some  on  their  backs,  and  some  in  their 
arms,  and  others  on  mules ;  and,  marching  with 
these,  were  herds  of  boys,  under  leaders  chosen  from 

*  Mackay's  Popular  Delusions,  vol.  ii.  p.  25. 
t    Guibert  de  Nogent,  book  vii. 
11 


162  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

among  themselves  and  called  after  the  names  of 
the  principal  chiefs.* 

Last  of  all  came  the  troops,  with  Aleph  at  their 
head,  and  the  chief  Dervish  on  his  right  hand,  and 
bands  of  choristers  hy  his  side,  swinging  their  cen- 
sers as  they  went — till  the  air  was  fragrant  with 
ambergris — and  chanting  in  one  voice,  "  Glory  be 
to  God!"  whilst  the  troops,  the  pilgrims,  the 
peasants  and  the  rabble,  took  up  the  cry,  and  made 
the  air  ring  with  their  voices. 

As  the  multitude  moved  on,  their  enthusiasm 
increased,  and  while  the  greater  part  hurried  to 
convert  or  destroy  the  heathen,  the  more  zealous 
of  the  rabble  inveighed  against  the  folly  of  going  to 
slay  the  barbarian  hordes,  while  they  left  the  un- 
converted Jew  behind.  So  many  of  the  holy  host 
hastened  back  to  Asulon,  and,  swearing  fierce  ven- 
geance to  the  Israelite,  first  mutilated  and  then 
slaughtered  all  those  they  could  lay  their  hands 
upon.t 

As  the  vast  human  flood  rolled  on,  Aleph  and 
the  chief  Dervish  soon  found  that,  despite  the  ex- 
ertions of  the  nobles  and  chiefs,  it  was  beyond  their 
power  to  keep  in  subjection  the  multitude  that 
followed  them — for  the  greater  part  of  those  they 
led,  consisted  either  of  the  folly,  fanaticism,  or  vil- 
lainy of  the  country.  Devoid  of  principle,  dis- 

*  Guibert  de  Nogent,  book  vii. 

t    Mackay's  Popular  Delusions,  vol.  ii.  p.  35  and  36. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  163 

cipline,  or  true  courage,  they  swept  over  the  land 
like  a  pestilence,  spreading  terror  and  famine,  and 
death,  robbery  and  murder  journeying  with  them 
all  the  way.* 

At  one  time  they  were  perishing  for  want,  so 
that  horses  and  camels,  and  the  very  vermin,  were 
eaten  as  luxuries  by  the  daintiest,  and  scarce  a 
chief  was  left  a  steed  to  ride  upon.f  At  another, 
when,  maddened  with  hunger  and  despair,  they 
gained  a  victory,  giving  themselves  up  to  frantic 
revelry  once  more,  arid,  in  the  wantonness  of  their 
luxury,  refusing  to  eat  any  but  the  choicest  parts 
of  the  beasts  they  slaughtered,  casting  away  as 
worthless  all  the  remainder.^  Now,  at  the  sack- 
ing and  pillaging  of  some  city  on  their  way,  dressed 
in  ermine,  and  purple  and  gold,  and  silken  stuffs, 
and  laden  with  vases  of  gold  and  silver,  and  pre- 
cious stones — then,  parched  with  drought  and  dying 
with  fatigue,  casting  away  first  their  heavy  golden 
spoils,  and  then  their  armor  ;  while  the  women, 
who  still  kept  up  with  "  the  army  of  the  Lord," 
would  throw  down  their  babes  in  the  army's  track, 
and  roll  prostrate  on  the  ground  with  the  agony  of 
their  thirst,  offering  their  naked  bosoms  to  the 
swords  of  the  soldiers,  and  begging  for  death. § 

*  Mackay's  Popular  Delusions,  vol.  ii.  p.  26. 

t  Robertus  Monachus,  book  vi. 

t  Raimond  d'Argilles. 

§  Albert  of  Aix,  book  iii. 


eW 


« 


Hi 


the 


S  soon  as  Huan — on  the  day  of 
his  degradation  —  had  escaped 
from  the  hands  of  the  frantic 
citizens,  he  journeyed  far  away, 
and  staid  not  till  he  beheld  the 
sea — like  a  vast  crystal  pavement 
— spread  out  before  him.  Then  he  sought  the 
wildest  and  most  desolate  part  of  the  coast,  and 
there,  as  the  waves  rippled  at  his  feet,  he  thought 
to  himself  how  he  could  at  once  save  his  poor 
sister's  life,  and  teach  his  countrymen  the  mad- 
ness of  their  acts. 

And  he  prayed  his  guardian  Spirit,  that  she 
would  bear  him  across  the  sea,  to  those  far-distant 
shores  whither  Aleph  and  his  fanatic  host  were 
hurrying,  so  that  he  might,  by  showing  kindness  to 
those  who  had  never  yet  felt  the  charm  of  it,  tame 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  165 

them  before  "  the  army  of  the  Lord"  had  time,  by 
the  barbarities  of  war,  to  make  them  even  more 
savage  than  they  were. 

The  wish  was  no  sooner  uttered,  than  the  Spirit 
begat  what  the  kindly  heart  desired,  and  immedi- 
ately the  trees  in  the  neighboring  forest  fell  like 
reeds  to  the  earth,  while  others  bent  down  and 
curved  themselves  into  the  ribs  and  sides  of  a 
goodly  ship.  Then,  from  the  tallest  and  straightest 
of  the  wood,  the  branches  were  stripped,  till  the 
naked  stems  stood  up  as  masts  for  the  magic  vessel. 
And  the  shores,  where  the  ring  of  the  anvil  had 
never  been  heard,  were  red  with  the  glare  of  the 
forge,  and  tinkled  with  the  music  of  countless  ham- 
mers, as  the  plastic  iron  was  wrought  into  bolts  and 
anchors  for  the  loving  mission.  And  all  around 
was  heard  the  hum  of  a  myriad  of  wheels,  as  the 
coarse  fiber  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree  was  spun  and 
wove  into  the  sails  and  cordage  of  the  ship.  Then, 
as  the  tide  rose  and  rose,  the  waves  danced  around 
the  vessel,  and,  lifting  it  on  their  backs,  bore  it  and 
Huan  far  away  from  land. 

And  the  same  kindly  Spirit  that  had  built  the 
ship,  freighted  it  with  loving  gifts,  and  christened 
it  "  The  Messenger  of  Peace,"  while  from  its  mast- 
head floated  the  Dove  and  the  Olive-branch,  as 
emblems  of  both  its  name  and  object.* 

*  The  name  and  flag  of  the  ship  that  Williams  the  mis- 
sionary, built  unassisted,  at  Raiatea,  in  the  South  Seas,  in 


166  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

But  Huan,  though  he  traveled  by  sea,  could  not 
reach  the  shores  of  the  heathen  before  Aleph  and 
his  multitude,  who  came  by  land,  had  begun  the 
war  that  he  had  hoped  by  his  coming  to  have  pre- 
vented ;  so  that,  when  he  neared  the  shore,  the 
natives,  who  might  before  have  listened  to  his 
words,  were  up  in  arms  and  screaming  for  the 
blood  of  the  stranger. 

Though  it  was  night,  his  vessel  had  been  seen 
from  afar  by  the  natives,  and,  as  he  stood  toward 
the  land,  countless  lights  flickered  like  fire-flies  on 
the  distant  beach,  while  on  the  breeze  floated  the 
yells  and  war-cries  of  the  infuriated  people  that  he 
had  come,  unarmed,  to  conquer. 

But  Huan  prayed  for  strength  and  faith  in  the 
power  of  the  Spirit  whose  servant  he  was,  and, 
gaining  new  courage,  landed  amidst  them. 

Some  of  them  had  one  side  of  their  face  and 
body  blackened  with  charcoal ;  others  were  paint- 
ed most  fantastically  with  yellow  and  red  ocher, 
and  stripes  of  all  the  colors  they  could  procure  ; 
while  many  had  their  skins  tatooed  with  curious 
devices  from  head  to  foot,  and  dyed  orange  with 
turmeric,  and  were  dressed  as  warriors,  with  large 
caps,  adorned  with  white  cowrie  shells  and  birds' 
feathers. 

As  Huan  looked   around,  he  trembled  for  his 

order  that  he  might  visit  the  savage  natives  of  the  other 
islands. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  167 

rashness  ;  for  he  saw  that  the  natives  were  drawn 
up  in  hostile  array,  some  with  three  or  four  spears, 
others  with  slings,  and  their  belts  full  of  large 
stones,  while  others,  with  torches  of  dry  cocoa-nut 
leaves,  danced  about  him,  shouting  and  making  the 
most  frantic  gestures. 

Many  had  climbed  the  trees,  to  see  the  stranger ; 
and  upon  the  trunks  and  astride  the  branches  Huan 
saw  them  in  clusters,  by  the  red  glare  of  the 
torches,  peeping,  with  glistening  eyes  and  wonder- 
ing  look,  from  the  rich,  dark  foliage  that  surround- 
ed them. 

Presently,  some  of  them  advanced,  and,  taking 
hold  of  his  hands,  felt  every  limb,  smelt  him,  turn- 
ed up  his  sleeves,  to  see  his  flesh,  and  examined 
him  most  minutely.  Then,  as  they  again  poised 
their  spears,  one  cried  out,  "  I'll  have  his  cap  ;" 
another,  "I'll  have  his  cloak  ;"  and  a  third,  bran- 
dishing his  huge  club,  screamed,  "  Let  us  kill  the 
hog  !  let  us  kill  him."* 

But  Huan  desired  them  to  put  aside  their  spears 
and  clubs,  telling  them  he  had  come  as  a  friend  to 
them,  laden  with  presents,  to  teach  the  blessings 
of -peace  and  good-will  among  men. 

When  they  heard  this,  they  tied  up  their  wea- 
pons in  bundles  and  threw  aside  their  slings. t 

*  The  native  teacher  Papeiha's  narrative  of  his  landing 
at  Rarotunga. 

f  Landing  of  Williams  at  Mangaia. 


168  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Then  Huan  distributed  to  them  pieces  of  cloth, 
and  hammers,  and  ribbons,  and  clasp-knives,  and 
blue  beads,  and  mirrors  and  fish-hooks. 

Some  of  the  cloth  he  gave  them  the  natives  fast- 
ened round  their  Priest ;  but  the  holy  man  tore  it 
in  anger  from  him,  and  throwing  it  on  the  ground, 
stamped  on  it,  crying,  "  Am  I  a  woman,  that  I 
should  be  encumbered  with  stuff?"  Another,  to 
whom  Huan  gave  a  saw,  broke  it  in  pieces,  and, 
hanging  the  glittering  fragments  round  his  neck 
and  to  his  ears,  ran  off  dancing  through  the  forest.* 

Pleased  with  the  gifts,  the  people  grew  more 
kindly  toward  the  Dwarf,  saying,  "  He  can  not  have 
come  to  injure  us,  for  he  brings  good  and  not  evil 
things  with  him,  and  hath  no  weapon  but  his 
tongue,  "f 

Then  Huan  told  them  he  had  come  to  teach 
them  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  so  that  they 
might  burn  the  idols  of  wood,  of  cloth,  and  of  birds' 
feathers,  which  they  had  made  and  called  gods. 

Immediately  a  cry  of  horror  burst  from  the  peo- 
ple, and  some  said,  "  What,  burn  the  gods  !  What 
gods  shall  we  then  have  ?"  and  others,  "  What- 
shall  we  do  without  the  gods  ?"  while  the  Priest 
cried,  "  Away  with  this  man  to  the  Chief,  for  he 
is  one  of  the  others  that  would  destroy  us  and  our 
gods  too  ;"  and,  muttering  something  to  the  people, 

*  Landing  of  Williams  at  Mangaia. 
f  Conversion  of  the  natives  of  A  tin. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDN'ESS.  169 

the  natives  seized  Huan — some  by  his  legs,  others 
by  his  arms — and  carried  him  far  away  into  the 
presence  of  their  Chief,  Vara,  the  man-killer. 

This  Vara  was  a  mighty  warrior  ;  and,  as  Huan 
entered,  he  was  seated  on  a  stage  stained  with 
blood,  eating  his  bread-fruit,  with  the  heads  of  the 
enemies  he  had  slain  ranged  round  him.  His  ap- 
pearance was  awful ;  his  cheek-bones  were  high 
and  prominent,  and  his  countenance  forbidding. 
His  whole  body  was  smeared  with  charcoal,  and 
his  long  black  hair  fell  like  a  mane  upon  his  shoul- 
ders, while  his  beard  was  plaited  and  twisted,  and 
reached  to  his  girdle.  Around  his  loins  was  a  nar- 
row slip  of  cloth,  through  which  his  spear  was 
passed  ;  and  the  only  badges  of  his  nobility  were  a 
few  shells  and  part  of  an  old  clasp-knife  handle, 
that  dangled  from  the  girdle  round  his  waist. 

Before  him  stood  his  mother,  weeping,  and  cut- 
ting with  sharks'  teeth  deep  gashes  in  her  face  and 
arms,  to  show  her  grief,  while  she  bewailed  the 
death  of  her  child,  and  charged  the  Chief  with 
having  killed  his  little  brother,  and  sent  his  body  to 
the  Priests,  because  the  King  had  demanded  of 
him  a  sacrifice  to  the  gods. 

But  Vara  only  looked  up  from  his  feast  of  bread- 
fruit and  abused  her,  saying,  "  Is  not  the  favor  of 
the  gods,  and  the  pleasure  of  the  King,  arid  the 
security  of  our  possessions,  worth  more  than  that 
little  fool  of  a  brother  ?  Better  lose  him  than  the 


170  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

government  of  our  district  and  the  protection  of 
Oro  the  war-god."* 

Then  Huan,  horrified  at  all  that  he  had  seen 
and  heard,  stood  boldly  forward,  and  spake  to  the 
Chief  on  the  wickedness  and  madness  of  ofiering 
up  such  sacrifices  to  a  piece  of  paiuted  wood. 
And,  telling  him  "  he  had  come  to  teach  them  the 
folly  and  wickedness  of  war,  he  exhorted  the  Chief 
to  worship  his  God,  whose  word  was  the  word  of 
peace  and  love." 

On  this  Vara  rose,  and  said,  angrily,  "If  it  be 
so,  why  do  these  strangers  come,  armed  with  spears, 
to  preach  the  word  of  peace  to  us,  and  slaughter 
our  wives  and  children  to  teach  us  the  word  of 
love.  They  have  come,"  said  the  Chief,  "  to  take 
us  by  force  and  make  us  worship  their  god ;  but, 
rather  than  yield,  we  will  gather  our  warriors 
around  us  and  fight  for  Oro,  who  is  not  more 
savage  than  they." 

Then  Huan  told  the  Chief  "  no  force  on  Earth 
could  make  him  worship  Allah,  for  that  He  was  a 
God  of  Kindness,  and  those  who  fought  his  battles 
must  go  armed  only  with  love  and  charity  to  all  ; 
so  that  men,  seeing  they  sought  but  their  welfare, 
might  receive  them  as  friends,  and  listen  to  their 
words  without  fear  or  suspicion." 

Then,  turning  to  the  people,  Huan  said,  "  Out 
of  pure  pity  I  come  to  bring  the  blessings  of  these 
*  Speech  of  Vara,  sacrifice  procurer  and  Chief  of  Aimeo. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  171 

kindly  truths  to  you,  before  you  entirely  destroy 
each  other  by  your  wars  and  the  worship  of  your 
savage  gods.  Think,  friends,  what  a  life  of  misery 
and  strife  and  fear  you  lead !  You  can  not  go 
down  to  the  sea  to  catch  fish,  or  to  the  mountains 
to  procure  food,  but  you  walk  the  earth  in  dread  of 
your  foes — I  come  to  teach  you  peace  and  happi- 
ness, that  you  have  never  known.  You  hide  your- 
selves in  caves,  when  your  Priests  seek  your  lives 
as  a  sacrifice  to  the  gods — I  come  to  give  you  the 
safe  shelter  of  God's  love  to  all  his  creatures. 
Your  chiefs  enter  your  houses,  seize  your  rolls  of 
cloth,  kill  the  fattest  of  your  swine,  pluck  the  best 
of  your  bread-fruit,  and  take  the  very  posts  from 
your  doors  as  firewood,  wherewith  to  cook  their 
food.  Is  there  a  person  present  who  has  not  buried 
his  new  canoe  in  the  sands,  to  hide  it  from  these 
desperate  men  ?  I  come  unarmed  and  unfearing 
among  you,  to  put  an  end  to  these  savage  wrongs. 
I  come  to  show  you  how  to  live  in  amity,  without 
fear  of  your  neighbor.  I  come  to  teach  you  to  do 
to  others  as  you  would  that  others  should  do  to  you  ; 
so  that,  instead  of  being  pierced  with  spears,  or 
beaten  to  death  with  the  clubs  of  your  warriors,  or 
burnt  as  offerings  to  your  senseless  idols,  you  may 
live  and  die  in  peace  in.  your  own  habitation,  sur- 
rounded by  your  friends." 

Now  all  this  was  new  to  the  people,  and  the  in- 
terest it  begat  in  those  who  heard  it  was  intense ; 


172  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

for  if  any  moved,  they  would  cry,  "  Be  still !  be 
still !  let  us  hear." 

But  the  Chief,  Vara,  rose  and  said  to  the  Priest 
and  those  assembled,  "  The  stranger  who  would 
teach  us  this  new  creed  may,  like  his  brethren, 
want  our  lands  and  our  wives.  I  do  not  say  that 
such  is  the  case,  but  it  may  be  so.  Therefore,  do 
not  be  in  haste.  Let  us  know  something  more 
about  this  new  religion  of  Kindness,  before  we 
abandon  the  religion  of  Revenge,  which  our  ances- 
tors for  ages  have  venerated.  Suppose  we  were  to 
visit  his  country,  and  say  to  his  people,  that  Allah 
was  not  the  true  God,  and  invite  them  to  cast  him 
off  and  become  worshipers  of  Oro  the  god  of  war, 
what  reply  would  they  make  ?  Would  they  not 
say,  '  Do  not  be  in  haste.  Let  us  know  some- 
thing more  of  Oro  and  the  worship  he  requires  ?' 
I  wish  my  people  to  do  and  say  the  same  as  the 
stranger's  people  would  say,  in  the  same  circum- 
stances."* 

Then,  turning  to  Huan,  he  asked,  "  Where  does 
your  God  live  ?" — Huan  answered,  that  "  Heaven 
was  his  dwelling-place  ;  but  that  he  filled  both  the 
sky  and  the  Earth  with  his  presence."  "  I  can  not 
see  him  !"  rejoined  the  Chief,  "  but  mine  I  can 
look  upon  and  touch  with  my  hand ;  and  if  the 
Earth  was  full  of  your  God,  surely  he  would  be 
big  enough  to  be  seen."  "  Ay,  and  we  should  run 
*  Speech  of  a  Samoan  chief. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  173 

against  Him,"  added  the  Priest,  who  had  brought 
the  Dwarf  to  the  Chief's  house. 

To  all  this  Huan  made  answer,  that  "  the 
Earth  was  full  of  air,  but  they  could  not  see  it,  nor 
touch  it  with  their  hands  ;  that  they  were  sur- 
rounded by  light,  and  yet  they  did  not  run  against 
it."* 

Then  Huan  spake  kindly  to  the  mother,  that 
still  grieved  for  her  murdered  son,  and  strove  to 
comfort  her,  telling  her  of  the  happy  time  of  peace 
and  good-will  to  come ;  so  that  the  poor  woman — 
unused  to  sympathy — thanked  him,  as  her  heart 
overflowed  with  his  compassion.  And  she  brought 
baked  meats  and  yams,  and  cocoa-nut  water,  and 
spread  them  before  him,  on  a  table-cloth  of  fresh- 
plucked  leaves,  and  bade  him  eat  and  drink,  say- 
ing, that  she  knew  he  had  come  to  comfort,  and 
not  to  injure  them. 

After  this,  she  besought  her  son  that  he  would 
listen  to  the  stranger's  good  counsels,  and  no  longer 
worship  as  gods,  those  things  of  painted  wood  and 
birds'  feathers,  that  robbed  them  of  their  children 
and  their  brothers.  And  she  exhorted  him  not  to 
lead  his  men  to  battle  on  the  morrow,  but  to  stav 
with  the  stranger  and  hear  more  from  him  about 
the  God  of  Peace  and  Loving-Kindness. 

And  when  Huan  had  finished  his  meal,  seeing 

*  Dialogue  between  Papeiha,  a  native  teacher,  and 
Tinomana,  Chief  of  Arorangi. 


174  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

him  overcome  with  fatigue,  she  spread  a  mat  for 
him,  and,  bidding  him  rest  his  tired  limbs,  placed 
a  bundle  of  dried  grass  as  a  pillow  for  his  head. 

As  Huan  prayed  before  he  slept,  Vara  hearing 
him  say,  "  Have  mercy  on  us,  O  Lord,  as  we  have 
mercy  on  others,"  wondered  at  the  charity  of  the 
prayer,  and,  drawing  his  mat  beside  the  Dwarf, 
told  him  he  had  come  to  be  taught  to  pray  to  the 
God  of  Mercy.  Delighted  with  the  request,  Huan 
repeated  the  supplication,  while  the  chief  said  it 
after  him. 

But  when  Vara  had  made  him  go  over  it  again 
and  again,  Huan,  overcome  with  fatigue,  dropped 
off  to  sleep. 

Scarcely,  however,  had  he  closed  his  eyes,  when 
the  anxious  Chief  awoke  him,  saying,  "  I  have  for- 
gotten it,  tell  it  to  me  once  more."*  And,  when 
he  had  made  him  repeat  it  many  times,  Huan  fell 
asleep  again,  and  was  again  awoke. 

This  the  Chief  did  frequently  through  the  night, 
till  he  had  got  the  prayer  by  heart.  And,  as  soon 
as  the  air  grew  blue  with  the  coming  morning, 
he  bade  Huan  wake  and  talk  with  him,  saying,  he 
had  been  thinking  seriously  on  all  he  had  heard, 
and  felt  greatly  disposed  to  burn  his  gods,  but  was 
afraid,  lest  they  should  be  enraged  and  strangle 
him  in  the  night.  But,  as  it  was  a  matter  of 

*  Papeiha,  a  native  teacher,  and  Tinomana,  the  Chief 
of  Arorangi. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  175 

great  importance,  it  was  well  not  to  be  in  haste. 
However,  since  Huan  had  come  for  the  purpose 
of  dissuading  him  from  fighting,  he  would  lay 
aside  all  thoughts  of  war  for  the  present. 

Then  the  Dwarf,  finding  he  had  made  a  friend 
of  the  Chief,  ventured  to  speak  upon  the  subject 
that  he  had  not  dared  to  mention  before.  So  he 
asked  Vara  if  he  still  remembered  the  prayer  that 
he  had  learnt  ;  and  the  Chief  repeated  it  to  him 
word  for  word.  Whereupon  Huan  told  him,  that 
he  alone,  of  all  his  countrymen,  had  come  in  mercy 
to  them,  though  none  had  suffered  at  their  hands 
more  than  he  had. 

Then  the  Chief  asked  him,  how  he  and  his 
people  could  have  injured  one  whom  they  had 
never  seen  before. 

So  Huan  told  him  they  had  robbed  him  of  his 
sister's  life,  and  though  his  countrymen  had  called 
him  "  coward,"  still  he  had  come  to  them  in  char- 
ity, to  teach  them  those  blessed  truths  which  had 
taught  him  to  live  in  peace  with  all  men,  and  love 
his  enemies.  And  Huan  wept  bitterly. 

When  Vara  heard  the  speech,  he  fell  back  and 
gazed  with  wonderment  upon  the  Dwarf.  Then, 
suddenly  starting  up,  he  cried,  "  Now  do  I  see  that 
yours  is  the  true  God.  Had  you  slain  my  sister,  I 
and  my  children's  children  would  not  have  rested 
till  we  had  made  your  skull  our  drinking  cup  ;  for 
I  should  have  bequeathed  rny  vengeance  as  a  legacy 


176  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

to  my  sons,  and  commanded  them  to  have  blood  for 
blood,  even  though  they  had  to  wait  for  it  till  the 
third  or  fourth  generation.*  But  you,  instead  of 
injuring  us  or  our  wives  or  our  children,  have  come 
among  us  laded  with  gifts,  to  pay  back  good  for 
evil.  Truly,  yours  is  a  religion  of  mercy,  and  none 
but  the  true  God  could  have  made  it."t 

But  Huan's  heart  was  fixed  on  Anthy ;  and  he 
asked  the  Chief  if,  among  those  that  had  been  slain 
he  remembered  one  that  was  blind. 

And,  when  Vara  had  answered  that  he  did,  the 
Dwarf  inquired  if  she  had  suffered  much. 

But  the  Chief  replied,  that  the  blind  were  sacred 
with  them  ;  for  that,  if  they  took  their  lives, 
Marama,  the  Goddess  of  Darkness,  would  be  angry 
with  them,  and  destroy  them  as  they  slept. 

Then  Huan's  head  fell  on  his  bosom,  and  he 
sobbed  for  very  joy,  while  he  praised  God  that 
Anthy  still  lived. 

But  Vara  thought  he  grieved  for  the  approach- 
ing fight,  and  cried,  "  O  that  your  countrymen  had 
come  to  us  in  charity,  as  you  have  done  !  But  they 
came  as  enemies,  and  fell  upon  us  with  the  sword 
and  the  firebrand,  under  cover  of  the  night.  And 
they  slew  our  priests,  our  wives,  our  brothers,  and 
our  children,  till  the  dead  covered  the  earth  like 

*  The  "  Ono,"  or  systematic  revenge,  prevailing  through 
all  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
t  Speech  of  the  Chief  of  Tahaa. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


177 


trees  after  the  hurricane.  They  desecrated  our 
temples,  cut  down  our  sacred  groves,  tore  Oro  from 
his  seat,  stripped  him  of  his  robes,  and  set  fire  to 
our  altars  and  our  gods.  And,  when  our  people 
saw  the  green  fields  and  trees  dyed  red  with  the 
flames  of  their  gods,  and  the  blood  of  their  country- 
men, they  screamed  for  vengeance.  And  they 
sounded  the  trumpet-shell  of  war,  and  called  on  the 
tribes  around  to  destroy  the  ruthless  strangers,  say- 
ing, '  There  is  no  peace  for  the  God-burners,  till 
they  have  felt  the  fury  of  the  fire  with  which  they 
destroyed  Oro.*'  " 

*  The  war  at  Raiatea. 


Chapter   th.*    &  to  enlist  h.. 


S  the  chief  yet  spoke,  the  sun  rose, 
and  suddenly,  the  trumpet-shell 
sounded,  and  the  air  was  rent 
with  the  cries  of  the  Priests  and 
the  yells  of  the  warriors,  as  they 
gathered  together.  Then  the 
shouts  ceased ,  and  there  was  heard  the  chant  of  the 
Priestesses  of  the  war  god  singing  of  the  victory  to 
come,  while  from  afar,  floating  on  the  breeze,  came 
the  prayer  of  the  armed  host  of  Asulon. 

Then  Huan,  led  hy  the  chief,  hastened  down  the 
mountain-side  to  see  if  there  were  no  way  left  to 
stay  the  coming  strife.  But,  as  the  war-cry  again 
came  up  louder  and  fiercer  than  hefore,  he  looked 
down  into  the  plain  heneath,  and  saw  the  barbarian 
horde  assembled  in  the  vast  waste  which  their  fore- 
fathers had  set  aside  for  their  battle-ground,  with 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  179 

their  war-caps  on  their  heads  and  their  long  jagged 
spears,  set  with  sharks'  teeth,  ready  poised  above 
them  ;  while,  drawn  up  behind  the  savage  horde, 
stood  bands  of  women,  bearing  baskets  of  stones, 
and  slings  and  clubs,  with  which  to  supply  the 
warriors  as  they  fought. 

So  Huan  hurried  on  with  quicker  speed,  and 
reached  the  plain  as  the  boldest  of  the  chiefs  darted 
forward  from  the  ranks  and  began  his  war-dance 
of  defiance,  close  in  front  of  the  army  of  Asulon. 
Now  the  savage  chieftain  quivered  his  spear,  and 
ran  to  and  fro,  leaping  and  shouting,  as  though  in- 
spired with  the  spirit  of  wildness.  Then,  with  a 
bound  he  stood  close  before  his  foes,  and  gnashed 
his  teeth  and  grinned  at  them,  till  he  foamed  at 
the  mouth,  all  the  while  keeping  up  a  low  hide- 
ous howl,  and  forcing  his  eye-balls  almost  from 
their  sockets.  Then,  calling  them  women  and  chil- 
dren, he  defied  them  to  the  combat,  while  he  thrust 
his  long  gray  beard  into  his  mouth,  and  gnawed  it 
with  savage  vengence.* 

And  when  the  people  of  Asulon  saw  this,  they 
cried  aloud,  "  Death  or  new  life  to  the  heathen ;" 
and,  brandishing  their  swords  on  high,  rushed  for- 
ward to  the  fray. 

Then  Huan  fell  on  his  knees,  and,  remembering 
the  magic  power  of  the  branch  he  bore,  waved  it 
in  the  air,  as  he  called  on  the  Spirit  of  Kindness 
*  War-dance  at  "  Savage  Island." 


180  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

to  help  him  stay  the  murderous  hand  of  Aleph  and 
his  host,  so  that  the  arms  they  carried  might  be 
changed  to  the  instruments  of  peace,  and,  gaining 
greater  power  from  their  greater  kindness,  theirs 
might  be  a  victory  of  the  heart  and  not  of  the 
sword. 

Immediately  the  shouts  and  the  war-cry  ceased, 
and  the  fanatic  foe  became  the  earnest  friend.  The 
spears  were  turned  into  priming-hooks  and  the  battle- 
axes  into  plough-shares.  The  armor  fell  from  the 
limbs  of  the  zealous  host,  and  the  bigot-warrior 
stood  transformed  into  the  apostle  of  peace — coming 
with  sickles  instead  of  swords  in  their  hands,  where- 
with to  teach  men  to  live  in  happiness  and  plenty. 

And,  in  the  magic  of  the  change,  the  girdle  of 
scalps  fell  from  the  Pagan's  loins,  and  his  naked 
and  painted  limbs  became  clothed,  while  the  up- 
lifted club  dropped  harmless  from  his  hand.  And 
those,  whose  brains  they,  in  their  savageness,  had 
come  down  to  offer  up  on  bread-fruit  leaves  as  food 
for  their  gods,*  they  no  longer  feared  as  enemies ; 
but  now  gathered  round  in  faith  to  listen  to  their 
words. 

Then,  as  the  kindly  teachers  spake,  the  sky  grew 
crimson  with  the  burning  of  the  Pagan  temples,  as 
if  the  heavens  themselves  were  stained  with  the 
blood  of  their  thousand  victims.  Arid  the  people 
were  seen  advancing  in  procession,  tribe  after  tribe, 
*  Practice  in  the  \var  at  Rarotonga. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  181 

the  Chiefs  and  the  Priests  leading  the  way,  and 
men,  women  and  children  following  them,  bearing 
their  rejected  gods  upon  their  shoulders.*  Some 
of  the  idols  were  large,  some  were  small,  some 
were  beautiful,  while  others  were  hideous.  Here 
was  carried  the  great  god  of  death  called  TANGA- 
ROA,t  the  man  eater,  whose  Priests  were  supposed 
to  be  inspired  by  the  shark,  holding  in  one  hand 
the  spear  with  which  he  killed  men,  and  in  the 
other  a  net,  with  which  he  caught  their  spirits  as 
they  fled  from  their  bodies.  There  was  borne  an- 
other, whom  they  called  TAUA.t  the  God  of  Thun- 
der ;  and  he  held  a  mighty  fan,  and  had  wings, 
the  sounds  made  by  the  flapping  of  which,  as  he 
flew,  they  said,  caused  the  thunder  to  peal  through 
the  skies.  Next  was  brought  a  rod,  with  snares  at 
the  end  of  it,§  made  with  the  fibers  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  husk,  with  which  the  Priest  caught  the  spirit 
of  the  gods,  and  which  was  also  used  in  war-time 
to  catch  the  god  of  battle  by  the  leg  and  secure  his 
influence  on  the  side  of  his  worshipers.  After  this 
one  was  carried  PAPO,  the  God  of  Revenge. ||  This 
was  made  of  rotten  matting,  and  round  it  there 
hung  a  string  of  pieces  of  polished  pearl  shells, 
which  were  thought  to  be  the  soul  of  the  idol ;  and 

*  Overthrow  of  idolatry  at  Aitutaki. 

t  The  great  national  god  at  Aitutaki. 

t  One  of  the  idols  of  the  same  island.          §  Ditto. 

II  National  idol  of  Savaii. 


182  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

he  was  regarded  with  great  veneration,  so  that 
those  who  sought  his  assistance  would  cut  off  with 
sharp  shells  the  joints  of  their  little  fingers. 

Then  the  idols  were  rolled  toward  the  fire,  some 
of  those  who  had  worshiped  them  a  short  time 
back  kicking  them  as  they  went,  saying,  "  There  ! 
your  reign  is  at  an  end." 

And,  when  they  had  cast  all  but  PAPO  into  the 
flames,  one  of  the  Priests,  lifting  up  the  roll  of 
rotten  matting  that  they  called  the  God  of  Re- 
venge, begged  with  tears  that  that  idol  might  be 
thrown  into  the  sacred  tank  hard  by,  as  drowning 
was  a  less  painful  death  than  burning.  And  when, 
to  please  the  simple  one,  they  had  granted  his  re- 
quest, he  tied  a  stone  to  the  idol,  and,  weeping, 
cast  it  in.* 

No  sooner  was  the  last  of  the  blood-stained  gods 
destroyed,  than  the  magic  of  the  Olive-branch  went 
on,  and  from  the  sacred  groves  there  came  the 
sound  of  many  axes,  and  the  loud  crash  of  boughs 
and  branches  falling  to  the  earth.  And  the  bread- 
fruit trees  were  seen  to  drop  one  by  one  to  the 
ground,  and  where  they  had  stood  rose  up  the 
rnilk-white  walls  of  the  humble  temple  of  the  new 
God.  On  its  roof  were  the  leaves  of  the  sugar- 
cane, on  its  floor  were  the  leaves  of  the  cocoa-nut, 
and  the  steps  before  it  were  of  hewn  coral,  both 
white  and  red,  while  the  path  that  led  to  it  was 

*  Request  and  conduct  of  Fauca,  chief  of  Tongatabu. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  183 

strewn  with  shells  of  many  colours.*  And  all 
around  waved  the  stately  bread-fruit  trees,  with 
their  dark-green,  glossy  foliage,  and  their  light- 
green,  oval  fruit,  hanging  like  balls  of  emerald 
from  the  end  of  every  bough.  And  interwoven 
with  their  branches  were  the  white  leaves  of  the 
candle-nut  tree,  while,  overtopping  all,  were  seen 
the  graceful  plumes  of  the  cocoa-nut.  Though  the 
thick  green  foliage  peeped  the  snowy  walls  of  the 
house  of  peace,  dotted  with  drops  of  sun-light  trick- 
ling through  the  leaves  above.  Across  the  sun- 
beams flitted  bright-colored  butterflies,  like  winged 
flowers  and  the  cooling  breeze  from  the  ocean 
swept  by  laden  with  spice  and  perfume. 

Then  was  heard  the  ringing  of  the  call  to  prayer, 
and  men  were  seen  beating,  as  they  went,  battle- 
axes  with  large  stones,  to  summon  the  people  to 
the  temple. t 

And,  as  the  teachers  entered  the  holy  place  for 
the  first  time,  their  hearts  were  moved  at  the  sight 
of  the  change  that  had  been  so  wondrously  wrought 
in  the  people  ;  for  the  jagged  spears  of  the  savage 
chiefs  were  arranged  as  balustrades  to  support  the 
rails  around  the  altar,  while  from  the  rafters  hung 
the  rejected  idols,  as  trophies  of  the  bloodless  victory 
that  had  been  gained.^ 

And,  when  they  had  prayed,  a  chief  arose  and 

*  Chapel  at  Rarotonga.  t  Custom  at  Aitutaki. 

t  Chapel  at  Rurutu. 


184  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

said,  "  Thus  the  gods  made  with  hands  shall  per- 
ish. There  they  are,  tied  with  cords  !  Their  glory ! 
— look !  it  is  birds'  feathers,  soon  rotten  ;  but  our 
new  God  is  the  same  for  ever.  Friends,  let  us  re- 
member our  former  state  ;  how  we  slew  our  chil- 
dren— how,  when  age  made  made  our  mothers 
helpless,  we  would  tempt  them  to  the  woods,  and 
then  hurling  them  into  a  hole  that  we  had  dug, 
would  cast  heavy  stones  upon  them — and  how, 
when  we  came  to  manhood,  we  would  fight  and 
wrestle  with  our  fathers  for  the  mastery ;  and  if  we 
obtained  it,  take  forcible  possession  of  their  goods, 
and  drive  them  from  their  home  to  starve — and 
how,  when  the  hand  of  death  had  snatched  the 
husband  from  the  wife,  we — instead  of  visiting  in 
kindness  the  fatherless  and  the  widowed  in  their 
affliction — waited  to  seize  all  that  belonged  to  them 
and  turn  the  disconsolate  mother  with  her  offspring 
away,  and  possess  ourselves  of  the  house,  the  food, 
and  the  land  that  was  theirs.  Now,  friends,  none 
are  to  be  pillaged,  none  are  to  be  destroyed.  But 
some  are  still  doing  as  we  have  done.  Some  are 
still  killing  themselves,  and  others  their  children 
and  their  parents.  Some  are  still  worshiping  their 
blood-thirsty  idols.  Let  us,  then,  send  them  teach- 
ers, to  teach  them  the  good  word  that  we  have 
been  taught."* 

*  Speech  of  King  Tamatoa  before  Captain  Waldegrave 
at  Raiatea. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  185 

Next  an  old  priest  stood  up,  and,  holding  out  his 
hands,  moved  rapidly  the  joints  of  his  wrists  and 
fingers.  Then  he  opened  and  shut  his  mouth,  and 
raised  his  leg  and  moved  it  in  various  directions. 
And,  having  done  this,  he  said,  "  See,  I  have  hinges 
all  over  me  !  If  the  thought  grows  in  my  heart 
that  I  wish  to  handle  any  thing,  the  hinges  in  my 
hands  enable  me  to  touch  it.  If  I  want  to  utter 
any  thing,  the  hinges  in  my  jaws  enable  me  to  say 
it.  And,  if  I  desire  to  go  any  where,  here  are 
hinges  in  my  legs  to  enable  me  to  walk  thither. 
Now  I  perceive  great  wisdom  in  the  adaptation  of 
my  body  to  the  wants  of  my  mind ;  and  when  I 
look  into  the  book  of  Life,  I  see  wisdom  in  it  equal 
to  that  in  my  frame  ;  and  my  heart  tells  me  that 
the  Maker  of  my  body  is  He  who  therein  commands 
us  to  love  our  brethren  as  ourselves."* 

Scarcely  had  the  priest  finished,  when  a  body  of 
natives  rushed  into  the  temple,  dragging  with  them 
a  chief  they  had  taken  in  ambush. 

As  they  forced  him  forward  to  the  altar,  they 
cried,  "  See,  great  Malietoa !  we  bring  thee  thine 
enemy  at  last.  Now,  take  thou  thy  vengeance  on 
him." 

Then  Malietoa  rose,  and  advancing  to  the  captive 
said,  "  Thou  didst  take  my  child  as  thy  prisoner  in 
war,  and  pressed  her  to  become  thy  wife.  But  she 

*  Speech  of  a  native  priest  before  Captain  Waldegrave 
at  the  same  place. 


186  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

would  not  consent,  and  even  thine  own  people  said 
it  was  base  in  thee  to  take  by  force  the  daughtei 
of  a  chieftain  like  myself.  Upon  this  thou  didst 
seize  thy  club,  and  swearing  that  if  thou  didst  not 
have  her  no  one  else  should,  didst  strike  her  on  the 
head  and  slay  my  only  child.  Now,  my  blood  urges 
me  to  avenge  the  death  of  my  girl ;  but  I  have 
learnt  the  religion  of  Peace,  and  I  will  begin  by 
trying  to  love  thee  my  bitterest  enemy."* 

Then  the  chief  who  had  come  prepared  for  death 
and  torture,  was  stricken  down  with  the  charity  of 
his  enemy  ;  and,  as  his  head  fell  upon  his  bosom, 
he  cried,  "  I  will  unite  mjself  to  this  new  religion, 
for  it  is  one  of  wondrous  mercy,  and  I  know,  by 
my  life  bring  spared,  that  none  but  a  great  and 
good  God  could  have  made  it.t  Henceforth,  Malie- 
toa,  let  us  two  have  but  one  heart."  And  he  fell  at 
his  forgiver's  feet,  and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands. 

Then  the  noble  chieftain,  took  his  enemy  by  the 
hand,  and  said,  "  Rise,  brother !  tear  off  the  garb 
of  Satan,  and  be  a  man  of  God." 

Huan  thanked  the  Guardian  Spirit  for  the  won- 
ders she  had  worked  in  the  hearts  of  the  people, 
and,  calling  Vara  to  his  side,  he  bade  him  conduct 
him  to  his  sister  Anthy. 

So  Vara  led  him  far  into  the  once  sacred  groves, 

*  Conduct  of  Malietoa,  Chief  of  Upolo,  to  one  of  the 
chieftains  of  Manono. 

t  Speech  of  the  Chief  of  Tahaa  after  the  war  at  Raiatea. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  187 

till  they  came  to  a  thicket  dense  with  trees  of 
ebony  and  iron-wood,  with  their  black  boughs  and 
leathery  leaves  so  closely  matted  together,  that  the 
herbs  beneath  grew  white  as  in  a  cave  ;  while,  as 
they  walked  along,  the  screech-owl  and  the  Vam- 
pire-bat darted,  like  shadowy  imps  in  and  out  the 
branches. 

At  length  they  reached  the  Hall  of  Darkness — 
sacred  to  Marama,  the  Goddess  of  the  Night — 
within  whose  ebon  doors  and  blackened  walls  no 
ray  of  light  had  ever  entered.  Beside  it  grew  the 
night-shade,  and  all  around  glimmered  dim  glow- 
worms that  never  ceased  to  shine. 

When  Huan  heard  that  beneath  this  dismal 
roof  his  sister  was  imprisoned,  his  blood  chilled 
with  horror,  and  he  thanked  Heaven  for  the  blind- 
ness that  screened  the  terrors  of  the  dungeon  from 
her. 

Then  Huan  as  he  waved  his  magic  branch,  be- 
sought his  Spirit  to  wipe  out  the  black  blot  from 
the  earth,  and  let  the  light  of  Heaven  shine  for 
the  first  time  within  the  walls  of  Darkness. 

Instantly,  the  branches  above  opened,  and  the 
light  streamed  in  a  golden  flood  through  the  leafy 
lattice,  till  the  earth  was  drenched  with  it,  and  the 
walls  grew  white,  and  the  grass  grew  green,  and 
sparkled  with  many-colored  flowers,  as  though, 
where  each  sun-beam  touched,  a  gem  was  left  be- 
hind. 


188  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Then  the  sides  of  the  vast  building  were  pierced 
with  many  windows^  and,  as  the  light  poured  in, 
there  arose,  from  within,  the  buzz  of  a  thousand 
infant  voices,  humming  like  a  swarm  of  bees,  as 
they  hived  the  honey  in  their  brains.  Some  learnt 
a  thanksgiving  for  their  food — others  a  simple 
prayer  to  say  before  they  rose  or  slept — while  above 
all,  was  heard  the  gentle  voice  of  Anthy  telling  the 
little  ones  the  wondrous  story  of  the  life  of  Him 
who  first  taught  and  showed  mankind  how  "  to  love 
their  enemies,  and  do  good  and  lend,  hoping  for 
nothing  again." 

When  Huan  entered,  he  found  the  people  gath- 
ered in  the  Hall  and  dressed  as  for  a  feast  to  listen 
to  the  children.  At  their  head  sat  the  gray-haired 
old  King,  who  had  been  worshiped  as  a  god,  and 
had  led  many  fierce  warriors  to  the  fight ;  but  his 
glistening  eyes  showed  that  he  felt  more  glory  in 
that  peaceful  scene,  than  in  all  the  battles  he  had 
won.* 

As  the  little  ones  lisped  aloud  the  kindly  lessons, 
it  was  a  touching  sight  to  look  upon  the  faces  of  the 
parents  gathered  round  to  hear  those  very  infants 
learn  to  hurt  nobody  by  word  or  deed,  and  be  true 
and  just  in  all  their  dealings — whom  a  little  while 
since  they  would  have  destroyed  or  dedicated  to 
Hmo,  the  God  of  Thieves,  that  they  might  have 
become  clever  and  desperate  in  pi  under,  t  Here 
*  Jubilee  of  children  at  Raiatea.  t  Polynesian  custom. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  189 

were  some  aged  listeners,  whose  eyes  glistened  with 
delight,  as  the  mother  said  to  the  father,  "  Thank 
God,  we  spared  our  little  one !"  There  sat  others 
with  saddened  countenances  and  faltering  voices, 
who  bewailed  in  bitterness  that  they  had  put  theirs 
to  death ;  while  the  silent  tears,  as  they  trickled 
down  the  cheeks  of  many,  told  the  painful  tale  that 
all  their  children  were  destroyed.* 

Suddenly,  a  woman  in  the  crowd  started  up ;  and, 
as  she  wrung  her  hands,  she  shrieked,  "  O,  my  chil- 
dren !  my  murdered  children !  All  the  little  ones  I 
have  slain  rise  up  in  judgment  against  me.  My  sins  ! 
my  sins  !  there  is  no  hope  for  a  wretch  like  me  !" 

Then,  as  she  sobbed  aloud,  she  continued,  "  Even 
my  little  first-born  I  put  to  death.  My  second,  my 
husband  would  have  saved,  but  I  and  my  mother 
cried  aloud  for  its  life.  My  third  was  more  beauti- 
tiful  than  all,  and  its  father's  heart  yearned  toward 
it,  and  he  begged  and  entreated  it  might  be  spared 
to  him ;  but  I  and  my  mother  again  had  our  mur- 
derous way.  We  rose  in  the  night,  placed  its  little 
body  in  a  hole  we  had  dug,  covered  it  with  a  plank, 
and  left  it  there  to  perish.  O,  my  babes  !  my  mur- 
dered babes !"t 

*   Jubilee  of  children  at  Raiatea. 

t  Confession  of  the  wife  of  one  of  the  chiefs  of  Tahiti — 
one  of  the  reasons  for  the  practice  of  infanticide  was,  that 
nursing  impaired  the  personal  attractions  of  the  mother, 
and  curtailed  the  period  during  which  her  beauty  would 
continue  to  bloom. —  Williams. 


190  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Scarcely  had  she  sat  down,  hefore  the  brother  of 
the  King — a  chieftain  gray  with  years — arose ;  and 
as  he  beat  his  breast,  he  cried,  "  Let  me  speak  !  I 
must  speak  !  I  will  speak  !  O  that  in  my  youth  I 
had  known  what  I  now  know  in  my  desolate  old 
age.  O  that  I  had  known  that  these  blessings 
were  in  store  for  us !  Then  I  should  have  spared 
my  children,  and  they  would  have  been  among  this 
happy  group,  repeating  these  precious  truths.  But, 
alas !  alas !  I  destroyed  them  all.  I  have  not  one  left 
— no,  not  one."  Then,  turning  to  the  King  he  cried, 
as  he  stretched  out  his  arm,  "You,  my  brother,  saw 
me  kill  child  after  child,  but  you  never  stayed  this 
murderous  hand."  And  then,  shaking  his  clenched 
fists  at  the  idols  that  hung  in  contempt  above  their 
heads,  he  cursed  the  gods  he  had  but  lately  wor- 
shiped, saying,  "  It  was  you  that  bred  this  savage 
spirit  in  us,  and  now  I  shall  die  childless,  though  I 
have  been  the  father  of  nineteen  children."*  And 
the  tears  trickled  down  the  old  warrior's  cheeks,  in 
his  bitter  agony,  like  the  sweat-drops  of  his  soul. 

*  This  chief  was  an  Airoi  of  the  highest  rank,  and  the 
laws  of  his  class  required  the  destruction  of  all  his  chil- 
dren.— See  Williams1*  Narrative. 


S  Huan  gazed  upon  the  Blind 
Girl,  with  the  little  ones  grouped 
around  her  knees,  he  longed  to 
fold  her  in  his  arms,  and  have, 
in  the  sweet  assurance  of  the  em- 
brace, thrilling  proof  that  she  still 
was  spared  to  him.  And,  when  the  King  and 
chiefs  and  little  ones  and  all  had  gone,  and  Huan 
was  left  alone  with  Anthy,  he  threw  himself  upon 
her  neck,  and  thanked  Heaven  for  its  many  bless- 
ings, but  for  the  blessing  of  his  sister's  life  above 
them  all. 

Then  she  told  him  of  all  her  sufferings,  and  he 
of  all  his  stragglings  to  relieve  her.  And,  while 
pity  strengthened  the  love  of  the  one,  gratitude 
gave  a  double  earnestness  to  the  affection  of  the 
other. 


192  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

As  they  each  ran  over  to  the  other  the  peaceful 
triumphs  they  had  gained,  Anthy  besought  Huan 
that  he  would  make  that  happy  land  their  resting 
place,  so  that  they  themselves  might  watch  over 
the  goodly  work  they  had  begun. 

But  the  Dwarf  reminded  her  that  before  they 
gave  to  strangers,  they  should  first  satisfy  the  wants 
of  home.  And  he  asked  her  whether  she  were  so 
blest  that  none  who  claimed  kindred  with  her 
stood  in  need  of  her  Charity. 

Anthy  saw  the  meaning  of  her  brother's  words, 
and,  remembering  her  father's  sufferings,  bade  Huan 
take  her  back  to  him  at  once. 

Now  when  it  was  known  among  the  people 
that  their  good  friends  were  about  to  depart,  little 
groups  of  men,  women,  and  children  would  collect 
in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  around  the  hut,  and, 
sitting  beneath  the  shade  of  a  stately  banana- tree, 
would  sing  in  plaintive  tones  the  rude  verses  they 
had  made  to  express  their  sorrow  at  the  parting ; 
while  others  would  bring  their  mats  and  sleep  on 
them  beneath  Huan's  and  his  sister's  windows,  in 
order  to  be  near  them  ;*  so  that  the  first  sounds 
Anthy  and  her  brother  heard,  as  the  east  grew  crim- 
son with  the  rising  sun,  was  the  plaintive  farewell 
hymn,  mingled  with  the  voices  of  the  birds. 

And  when,  at  last  the  day  of  departure  came, 

*  Conduct  of  the  natives  of  Rarotonga  to  Williams,  pre- 
vious to  his  leaving  the  island. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  193 

thousands  went  with  the  kindly  couple  to  the 
beach,  where  a  feast  was  spread,  that  they  might 
break  bread  in  peace  before  they  parted. 

On  their  way  thither,  both  sides  of  the  path  were 
lined  with  the  multitude  who  had  come  to  crave  a 
blessing  ere  they  left  them  forever.  And,  as  Huan 
and  Anthy  walked  along  and  looked  upon  the 
altered  people,  they  smiled  with  joy  to  think  how 
different  was  their  parting  from  their  meeting. 

The  war-field  in  the  distance,  which  for  ages 
had  been  left  barren  for  the  fight,  was  here  brown 
with  the  new-turned  earth,  and  there  green  with 
the  coming  crop.  And  men  sat  in  the  shade  be- 
side their  doors,  on  chairs  of  their  own  making, 
with  their  wives  and  daughters  next  them,  plying 
the  needle,  or  busy  at  the  spinning-wheel.  The 
clanking  of  the  loom  and  the  ring  of  the  anvil 
ceased,  as  Huan  and  Anthy  advanced,  and  the 
chieftain,  who  now  plied  the  shuttle,  left  the  web, 
and  the  blacksmith — once  a  noted  warrior — came 
from  the  forge,  with  bare  and  brawny  arms,  to 
shake  the  hand  that  had  taught  them  their  peace- 
ful arts.  Then  as  they  neared  the  village,  girls 
came  running  from  the  churn  and  men  from  the 
plough,  to  swell  the  train,  while  those  who  once  had 
been  priestesses  to  the  god  of  war,  now  came  forth, 
knitting  on  their  way,  to  join  the  throng.  Next, 
the  splashing  of  the  water  and  the  drone  of  the 
wheel  of  the  sugar-mill  was  stopped ,  and  the  whirr 
13 


194  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

of  the  turning-lathe  ceased ;  and  the  priest,  who 
was  now  the  printer,  left  off  working  at  the  press  ; 
all  nocked  out  to  implore  a  blessing  on  the  heads 
of  those  who  had  come  in  kindness  to  teach  them 
how  to  serve  God,  their  neighbor,  and  themselves. 

Then,  as  they  passed  the  schools,  the  old  and 
the  young  marched  forth  to  greet  them.  Here 
was  a  gray-haired  chieftain  that,  in  his  old  age, 
had  come  to  learn  ;  and  he  had,  slung  round  his 
neck,  a  chip — a  magic  one,  he  thought — on  which 
a  hasty  message  had  been  written  ;  and,  as  he 
danced  along,  he  cried,  "  See  the  wisdom  of  these 
strangers  !  They  can  make  even  the  wood  talk  to 
people  at  a  distance."*  There  was  another,  as 
old  and  simple  as  the  last,  who,  to  bless  the  Blind 
Girl  and  her  brother  as  they  went  by,  muttered  his 
new-learnt  alphabet  as  a  fancied  prayer,  f 

And,  when  the  shore  was  reached,  and  the  feast 
was  ended,  the  King  rose  up,  and  said,  "It  is  my 
wish,  that  all  who  are  now  assembled,  promise 
our  brother  and  our  sister — the  best  friends  we 
ever  knew — that  the  good  work  they  have  begun 
shall  not  be  put  aside,  when  they  are  far  away. 
When  they  first  came  among  us,  we  thought  them 
drift  wood  cast  on  shore  by  the  waves  of  the  ocean, 

*  Conduct  of  a  chief  of  Rarotonga,  after  carrying  a  mes- 
sage written  on  a  chip. 

f  Prayer  uttered  by  the  converted  priest  Tiaki,  in  a 
moment  of  supposed  danger. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  195 

but  see  what  they  have  taught  us.  Let  us  think 
of  what  we  are  and  what  we  were.  Our  bodies 
are  now  covered  all  over  with  beautiful  cloth,  while 
formerly  we  had  nothing  but  a  girdle  of  leaves 
around  our  waist.  Now  our  very  feet  are  clothed, 
and  a  little  while  since  they  were  like  the  dogs'. 
Formerly  we  were  obliged  to  work  with  our  axes 
of  stone,  day  after  day,  before  we  could  cut  down 
a  single  tree,  now  we  have  axes  so  hard  and  sharp, 
that  the  trees  are  like  reeds  before  us.  Before 
they  came  among  us,  we  used  human  bones  to  dig 
and  make  our  canoes  with,  now  we  have  tools  so 
hard  and  sharp,  that  we  cut  through  the  wood 
and  the  ground,  as  though  they  were  water.  Our 
knives,  too,  what  valuable  things  are  they !  how 
quickly  they  cut  up  our  swine,  compared  with  our 
bamboo  ones  of  old  !  Our  women  have  no  need  to 
go  down  to  the  water  to  look  at  themselves,  be- 
cause now  they  have  small  shining  things,  in 
which  they  can  see  their  faces  as  plainly  as  we 
can  see  one  another.  And  our  children  no  longer 
cry  and  scream  to  have  their  hair  cut,  now  that  it 
is  done  with  scissors  instead  of  sharks'  teeth.  Now, 
when  I  look  at  the  wisdom  of  these  people,  and  see 
how  superior  they  are  to  us,  and  how  superior  they 
have  made  us  to  what  we  were,  I  say  again,  it  is 
my  wish  that  their  God  should  be  our  God  for 
ever  and  ever."* 

*  Speech  of  a  venerable  Samoan  chief. 


196  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Then,  as  Huan  and  his  sister  rose  with  tearful 
eyes,  to  bid  them  all  God  speed,  Vara,  who  had 
been  the  first  to  learn  to  pray,  ran  toward  the 
Dwarf,  and,  throwing  himself  at  his  feet,  wept  bit- 
terly. And,  as  he  knelt  and  lifted  his  clasped 
hands  to  Heaven,  the  whole  multitude  knelt  also, 
while  Vara  cried  aloud,  "  O  God,  tell  the  winds 
about  them,  that  they  may  not  blow  fiercely  upon 
them.  Command  the  ocean  concerning  them,  that 
it  may  not  swallow  them  up.  Conduct  them  in 
safety  to  their  far-distant  country,  and  give  them  a 
happy  meeting  with  their  friends,  and  then — con- 
duct them  back  again  to  us.  I  have  seen,  O  Lord, 
a  compass  in  their  vessel,  by  which  the  shipmen 
steer  the  right  path.  Do  Thou,  in  their  absence, 
be  our  compass,  to  direct  us  in  the  right  course, 
that  we  may  escape  the  rocks  and  quicksands  in 
our  way.  Be  to  us,  O  Lord,  the  compass  of  Ever- 
lasting Life."* 

Then,  as  Huan  and  Anthy  tore  themselves  away 
from  the  grateful  people,  and  the  boat  left  the 
shore,  and  floated  past  the  sloping  banks  of  white 
and  red  coral,  that  shone  at  the  bottom  of  the 
placid  and  transparent  waters,  like  a  flower  garden 
beneath  the  sea,  the  people  sang  with  one  voice 
and  one  heart,  "  Blessing  on  you,  kindly  friends  ! 
blessing  on  you,  in  your  journey  on  the  deep  !" 

Now  the  thousand  voices  were  hushed,  while  a 

*  Prayer  of  Teava,  a  converted  native  of  Rarotonga. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


197 


thousand  hands  were  waved  toward  them.  Now 
the  same  loving  song  broke  forth  again,  growing 
fainter  and  fainter,  as  the  waves  went  dancing  by 
the  boat,  till  it  was  heard  only  as  the  breeze  came 
rippling  over  the  crystal  waters  ;  and  then  it  was 
lost  forever  in  the  distance.* 

*  Departure  of  Williams  from  Rarotonga. 


LEPH  and  his  band  had  long 
since  returned  to  Asulon,  to  tell  the 
wondrous  story  of  the  nation  that 
had  been  conquered,  without  the 
^shedding  of  one  drop  of  blood. 
And,  when  it  was  spread  about, 
that  Huan  and  his  sister  were  returning,  Ulphilas 
and  his  court  went  out  to  meet  them,  and  bid 
them  welcome,  as  the  greatest  glory  of  the  land. 

And  the  Monarch  set  apart  for  An  thy  and  her 
brother  the  noblest  chambers  in  his  palace.  Then, 
as  the  evening  drew  in,  he  made  Huan  and  his 
sister  go  over  and  over  again,  the  many  marvels 
they  had  wrought.  And  the  mighty  warrior,  who 
had  conquered  half  the  Earth  by  the  resistless 
sway  of  his  arms,  cried,  as  he  listened  to  the  tale, 
"Verily,  there  are  but  two  powers  in  the  world — 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  199 

Kindness  and  the  Sword ;  and,  in  the  end,  Kind- 
ness is  sure  to  subdue  the  Sword  ;  for,  there  is  no 
force  so  overwhelming  as  that,  whose  strength  lies 
in  its  very  weakness."* 

But  Huan,  smiling,  answered,  he  feared  the  King 
had  not  yet  perfect  faith  in  the  magic  of  the  kindly 
influence.  Then  the  Monarch  called  Heaven  to 
witness,  that  he  believed  there  were  no  limits  to 
its  power  over  man. 

Instantly  Huan  bade  him  prove  his  words,  and 
free  the  maniac  of  his  chains.  But  Ulphilas 
sought  to  qualify  the  speech,  and  answered,  "  that 
Man  was  only  Man  by  the  possession  of  his  reason, 
and,  when  that  left  him,  he  was  as  the  beasts 
of  the  field."  Whereupon  Huan  replied,  "  that 
it  was  the  province  of  the  reason  to  think  and 
not  to  feel,  and  Kindness,"  he  told  the  King  a 
second  time,  "  spake  to  the  heart  and  not  to  the 
head." 

As  Huan  saw  the  King  waver,  he  again  urged 
Ulphilas,  that  he  would  allow  him  to  unchain  the 
maniacs.  And  he  pleaded  for  their  liberty  with 
such  earnestness  and  warmth,  that  the  Monarch  at 
length  gave  way  to  his  arguments,  and  agreed  to 
go  with  the  Dwarf  and  visit  the  maniacs'  dungeons 
in  the  morning. 

Anthy  and  her  brother  could  scarcely  sleep  that 
night,  for  the  joy  they  felt — at  last  their  prayer 
*  Saying  of  Napoleon. 


200  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

had  been  heard,  and  their  father  would  be  free  on 
the  morrow. 

Early  the  next  day,  Huan  and  Anthy  led  the 
King  to  the  grim  abode.  As  they  entered,  they 
found  the  sufferers  chained  naked  to  the  walls  and 
being  shown  for  money,  like  wild  beasts,  to  gaping 
visitors,  while  the  keepers — so  that  the  rage  of  the 
poor  frantic  wretches  might  be  increased  for  the 
amusement  of  the  sight-seers — alluded  to  every 
subject  likely  to  excite  their  fury.  The  voracious 
idiot,  too,  was  kept  without  food,  so  that  his  unnat- 
ural gluttony  might  appear  the  more  wonderful 
to  the  wonder-seeking  crowd.* 

But,  when  Ulphilas  saw  the  fury  of  those  that 
were  chained,  and  heard  the  confused  sounds  of 
their  cries,  shrieks,  laughter,  and  curses ;  and,  above 
all,  the  clanking  of  the  iron  fetters  in  the  damp 
and  dark  cells,  he  repented  him  of  what  he  had 
said,  and  hurried  from  the  place,  exclaiming,  "  You 
will  become  the  victim  of  their  rage  and  your 
own  rashness.  Your  blood  be  upon  your  own 
head."t 

And,  now  that  the  time  had  come,  even  Huan 
himself  half  trembled  for  the  result ;  and  he  bade 

*  Exhibitions  at  Bethlehem  during  the  last  century,  by 
which  an  income  of  400/.  per  an.  was  derived  by  the 
Hospital. 

t  Speech  of  M.  Couthon,  a  member  of  the  French 
Commune,  to  M.  Pinel,  senior,  previous  to  his  liberation 
of  fifty-three  madmen  from  their  chains. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  201 

Anthy  leave  him,  so  that  he  alone  might  meet  the 
danger.  But  the  loving  girl  clung  the  closer  to 
him,  and,  as  his  faith  wavered  under  the  heavy 
trial,  hers  grew  the  stronger  for  it ;  and  she  re- 
minded him,  how  Kindness  had  tamed  the  beast  of 
the  field  and  the  savage  of  the  forest ;  and  she 
hade  him  still  trust  the  Magic  Power,  that  had 
triumphed  when  all  others  had  failed. 

But  again  Huan  heard  the  fury  and  the  shrieks, 
and  his  spirit  quailed  before  them.  So  he  prayed 
for  strength,  saying,  "  Almighty  Spirit  of  Kindness, 
help  me,  O,  help  me  !  in  this,  the  greatest  work  of 
all.  Show  to  those  that  want  faith,  in  the  magic 
of  thy  power,  that  even  the  maniac,  deprived  of 
every  other  means  of  intercourse  with  man,  is  still 
able  to  understand  thy  gentle  voice,  and  be  guided 
by  thy  tender  hand." 

Then,  as  he  felt  his  confidence  come  back,  he 
turned  to  those  about  him,  and  bade  them  lead  him 
to  Ergastor's  cell.  But  they  dared  not,  saying, 
"  Ergastor's  fury  made  him  the  most  dangerous  of 
all."  So  they  besought  him  to  begin  the  perilous 
trial  upon  those,  whom  long  confinement  had  ren- 
dered almost  powerless ;  and  Huan,  yielding  to 
their  entreaties,  moved  toward  the  cell.  In  it  was 
one  who  had  been  in  chains  for  forty  years,  and 
who  had  been  so  long  hidden  from  the  world,  that 
no  one  knew  his  history.  The  keepers  approached 
him  with  caution,  for  in  a  fit  of  rabid  rage  he  had 


202  THE  MAGIC -OF  KINDNESS. 

killed  one  of  them  with  a  blow  from  his  manacles. 
His  chains  were  heavier,  stronger,  and  tighter  than 
the  rest. 

Huan  entered  the  dark  dungeon  and,  speaking  to 
the  maniac  in  a  calm,  kind  voice,  told  him  he  had 
come  to  free  him  of  his  fetters ;  but  the  madman 
laughed  scornfully,  as  he  said,  "  No  !  No  !  No ! 
You  are  all  too  much  afraid  of  me." 

But  the  dauntless  Huan  advanced,  and  smote 
the  chains  with  the  magic  branch,  and  instantly 
the  links  burst  like  bubbles  at  the  touch.  Then 
Anthy  and  the  Dwarf  drew  back  from  the  cell, 
leaving  open  the  heavily  barred  door. 

The  poor  wretch  raised  himself  many  times  from 
his  seat,  and  as  many  times  sank  down  again.  He 
had  been  so  long  chained  to  his  chair,  that  his  legs 
bent  under  him,  as  he  tried  to  use  them.  At  last, 
he  stood  up,  and  with  tottering  steps  reached  the 
door  of  his  dark  dungeon. 

His  first  look  was  at  the  blue  sky  that  he  had 
not  gazed  upon  for  forty  years ;  and,  as  he  drank 
in  the  sweet  air,  and  felt  the  soft  refreshing  breeze 
fan  his  burning  brain,  he  cried  out,  as  his  lip  quiv 
ered  with  emotion,  and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears 
"  Great  God  !  how  beautiful !" 

Then  the  poor  wretch  staggered  into  the  sun- 
shine, and  stood  still  to  listen  to  the  chirping  of  the 
birds.  And  then  he  hurried  back  into  the  cool 
shade  again,  and  gazed  wildly  upon  the  green  trees, 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  203 

all  the  time  uttering  quickly,  as  he  went ;  "  How 
beautiful  !  Great  God  !  how  beautiful  !"* 

In  the  next  cell  that  Huan  visited  was  one  who 
had  not  stirred  from  it  for  ten  years.  He  had  been 
a  soldier,  but  drink  had  driven  him  mad.  In  his 
frenzy  he  believed  himself  a  general,  and  attacked 
all  those  who  would  not  bow  to  his  rank  ;  and  he 
was  more  dangerous  than  all,  from  his  greater 
bodily  strength ;  for,  he  had  often,  in  his  fury, 
snapped  his  chains  with  his  hands  only.  Once  he 
had  broken  loose,  and  then  had  defied  his  keepers 
to  enter  his  cell,  till  they  had  passed  under  his  legs. 
Nor  could  he  be  quieted,  until  eight  of  the  boldest 
had  obeyed  his  strange  command. 

One  wave  of  the  branch,  and  the  maniac-giant 
was  unchained,  with  the  Dwarf  unarmed  and  alone 
beside  him. 

But  the  change  was  sudden  and  complete  !  No 
sooner  was  the  madman  free,  than  he  became 
gentle  and  devoted  as  a  child.  With  his  eye  he 
followed  every  motion  of  the  Dwarf.  And,  when 
Huan  called  upon  him  to  help  him  release  his  fel- 
low-prisoners from  their  chains,  he  joyfully  obeyed, 
speaking  kindly  arid  even  reasonably  to  his  brothers 
in  affliction. 

And,  so  earnest  was  the  attachment  of  the  mad- 
man to  his  deliverer,  and  all  that  belonged  to  him 

*  See  the  account  given  by  M.  Pinel,  jun.,  of  the  libera- 
tion of  the  madmen  at  Bicetre,  by  his  father. 


204  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

that,  when  years  had  gone  by  and  the  hand  that 
had  freed  him  was  moldering  in  the  dust,  he  still 
followed  and  tended  so  faithfully  those  that  claim- 
ed kindred  with  his  liberator,  that  they  could  not 
hear,  without  emotion  the  mention  of  his  name.* 

In  the  cell  adjoining  this  one  were  three  strangers 
in  the  land.  They  had  been  in  chains  for  many 
years — but  why,  no  one  knew.  They  were  calm 
and  harmless,  becoming  animated  solely  when  con- 
versing in  their  own  language,  which  none  about 
them  could  understand.  They  were  allowed — the 
only  consolation  of  which  they  seemed  sensible — to 
live  together. 

As  Huan  entered  to  release  them,  they  became 
alarmed,  for  they  fancied  he  had  come  to  inflict 
new  tortures  on  them,  and  they  warned  him,  by 
their  gestures,  not  to  approach. 

In  vain  did  Huan  wave  the  magic  branch,  for 
though  the  chains  fell  heavily  from  the  poor  creat- 
ures' limbs,  still  they  would  not  quit  the  seat  that 
many  years  of  bondage  had  used  them  to.  Either 
grief  or  loss  of  intellect  had  rendered  them  indif- 
ferent to  liberty — and  the  earth  had  no  fairer  spot 
for  them  than  the  dark  and  damp  dungeon,  to 
which  their  chains  so  long  had  bound  them.f 

*  Account  given  by  M.  Pinel,  jun.,  of  the  liberation  by 
his  father  of  the  soldier  of  the  French  guards,  who  after- 
wards became  the  faithful  servant  of  the  father  and  the 
playmate  of  the  son. 

t  Liberation  by  M.  Pinel,  sen.,  of  the  three  Prussian 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  205 

And  now  that  Huan  had  shown  to  the  few  that, 
wondering,  followed  him,  how  Kindness  still  held 
sway  over  those  upon  whom  Reason  had  lost  all 
power,  he  asked  the  keepers  whether  they  yet  had 
courage  to  take  him  to  his  father's  cell. 

When  they  had  led  him  there,  and  unbarred  the 
door,  they  fled  in  fear. 

As  Huan  forced  back  the  heavy,  creaking  mass 
of  iron  his  heart  bled  to  look  upon  the  awful  spec- 
tacle before  him;  and  he  shuddered  to  behold  the 
iron  vices  that  gripped  the  old  man's  limbs. 

In  his  ravings,  Ergastor  had  struck  the  doctor 
of  the  house  ;  and,  either  from  fear  or  as  a  punish- 
ment, a  new  and  most  ingenious  instrument  of  tor- 
ture had  been  invented  for  his  confinement.  A 
neck-ring  of  stout  iron  was  riveted  round  his  throat 
and  from  it  was  a  heavy  chain  that  bound  him  to  a 
bar  at  his  back,  which  was  fastened  in  the  wall. 
Round  his  body  a  strong  iron  girdle  was  clamped, 
with  iron  armlets,  welded  on  each  side,  and  through 
these  the  old  man's  arms  were  passed  and  held 
close  pinioned  to  his  body.  Over  his  shoulders 
were  two  thick  iron  braces,  with  their  ends  screwed 
to  the  girdle,  so  that  the  poor  wretch  might  not 
lift  his  arms  and  draw  them  through  the  iron  belts 
that  gripped  them  to  his  waist.  These  braces, 
again,  were  fastened  by  a  double  link  to  the  iron 

soldiers  confined  in  the  Bicetre,  as  described  by  M.  Pinel, 
junior. 


206  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

collar ;  while  from  all  ran  chains,  bolted  to  the  bar 
against  the  wall.  His  right  leg,  too,  was  chained 
to  the  trough  in  which  he  was  encaged,  and  which 
served  him  for  chair — bed — home — world — and 
all ;  and  though  the  chains  which  held  him  to  the 
bar  at  his  back,  slid  up  and  down  the  iron  post, 
still  the  wretched  creature  could  neither  stand  up- 
right nor  lie  down  at  ease. 

One  touch  of  the  branch,  and  the  iron  belts  and 
bands  snapped  like  threads. 

But  the  freedom  came  too  late  ;  for  the  arms  of 
the  poor  maniac  still  pressed  as  close  as  ever  to  his 
sides.  Not  a  limb  did  he  move  in  token  of  the 
liberty  that  had  at  last  been  given ;  but  he  sat  as 
though  he  were  still  manacled,  and  his  muscles  had 
become  as  rigid  as  the  iron  that  so  long  had  bound 
them. 

Anthy  flew  to  her  father's  side,  and  tried  with 
gentle  care  to  set  his  foot  down  on  the  stony  floor, 
so  that  she  might  help  him  pass  from  his  wretched 
dungeon  into  the  pure  air  without.  As  she  moved 
the  stiffened  limb,  the  old  man  shrieked  with  pain. 
Then  Huan  strove  to  lay  him  down,  but  the  poor, 
cramped  creature  shrieked  more  wildly  than  before 
as  they  tried  to  bend  the  muscles  of  his  back. 

Anthy  fell  upon  her  knees,  and,  as  she  sobbed 
aloud,  screamed  "Father  !  father  !  forgive  me  !  oh, 
forgive  me !" 

But  the  old  man  moved  not  a  muscle  in  reply ; 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  207 

his  glassy  eye  was  still  fixed  with  the  same  vacant 
stare. 

Again  the  Blind  Girl  called  frantically  upon  her 
father  for  his  forgiveness,  but  in  vain — for  the  eye- 
lid drooped,  and  the  jaw  fell,  and  the  old  man  died 
in  the  same  posture  as  his  chains  so  long  had  held 
him. 

And  there  sat  the  corpse,  its  back  against  the 
bar,  its  arms  close  pressed  against  its  sides,  as  if  its 
stiffened  limbs  had  been  the  iron  fetters  of  its  soul ; 
till  Kindness,  taking  pity  on  its  wretched  bondage, 
had  freed  the  spirit  of  its  fleshy  chains,  and  let  it 
fly — like  an  uncaged  bird — to  Heaven.* 

Huan  dragged  Anthy  senseless  from  the  awful 
scene.  Then,  with  his  sympathies  for  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  maniacs,  made  still  more  keen  by  the 
sufferings  of  his  father,  he  cried  aloud  to  the  Spirit 
of  Kindness  that  she  would  put  an  end  to  such 
atrocities  forever. 

As  he  spoke  the  words,  a  magic  cnange  came 
over  the  dismal  building ;  and  the  gloomy,  barred 
and  bolted  prison  became  the  cheerful  and  kindly 
asylum.  The  high,  dark  walls  that  had  shut  out 
the  green  fields  of  the  earth  and  the  golden  light 
of  heaven,  sank,  till  the  country  round  was  seen  in 
all  its  healthful  verdure  and  soothing  beauty.  The 
bars  dropped  from  before  the  narrow  windows  as  if 

*  Mode  of  confinement  practised  upon,  and  death  of 
William  Norris,  a  naval  officer  in  Bethlehem. 


208  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDiNESS. 

melted  by  the  sun-beams  that  came  streaming  in, 
or  swept  away  by  the  sweet  air  that  now  gushed 
through  them. 

And,  where  the  bars  had  frowned,  birds  in  cages 
sang,  and  flowers  blossomed ;  till  the  damp,  dark 
dungeons  that  once  had  echoed  with  the  clanking 
of  chains  and  reeked  with  the  fetid  atmosphere, 
were  now  cheerful  chambers,  pleasant  with  melody 
and  perfume. 

There  was  warmth  for  the  winter,  and  coolness 
and  shade  for  the  summer.  There  were  lightsome 
places  set  apart  for  the  tranquil,  the  sick  and  the 
helpless  ;  and  places  as  lightsome,  too.  though  more 
secure,  for  the  unruly,  the  noisy  and  the  violent. 

And  those  who  for  years  had  never  moved  a 
limb  or  had  a  peaceful  thought,  were  now  busy  for- 
getting their  delusions  in  the  workshops  and  the 
work-rooms,  the  farm  and  the  dairy,  the  smithy,  the 
printing-office  and  the  play-ground,  that  gave  new 
life  and  health  to  the  place.  Those  who,  a  little 
while  back,  would  have  been  chained  in  wooden 
troughs,  now  made  soft  bedding  for  their  suffering 
brethren.  Those  whose  bodies  would  once  have 
been  strapped  to  the  coercion-chair,  were  now  busy 
making  easy  seats  for  the  feeble  and  the  helpless. 
Those  whose  limbs  would  have  been  gripped  fast 
by  leg-locks,  were  now  hard  at  work  tilling  the 
sweet-smelling  earth  ;  while  others,  whose  muscles 
would  have  been  stiffened  with  iron  belts  and 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  209 

braces,  fashioned  toys  and  puzzles  for  the  child- 
ish.* 

Where  the  dismal  yards  and  barren  courts  had 
stood,  encompassed  by  their  high  and  gloomy  walls 
— without  a  tree,  without  a  shrub,  without  a  blade 
of  grass — without  shade  in  the  heat  of  summer  or 
shelter  from  the  rains  of  winter — with  the  hard 
stony  soil  worn  into  hollows  from  the  restless  feet 
that  trod  it — and  the  only  luxury  there,  a  bench 
fastened  to  the  wall,  with  massive  iron  rings  above 
it,  so  that,  even  in  the  open  air,  force,  instead  of 
care,  might  rule  the  inmates — now  gardens  bloomed 
instead,  with  shrubs  and  trees,  to  fling  their  cool, 
refreshing  shade  across  the  sunny  paths  for  years  to 
come ;  and  fragrant  summer-houses,  and  seats  in 
pleasant  places,  for  the  feeble  and  the  imbecile  to 
sit  and  warm  their  sluggish  blood  in  the  sun.  And 
there  were  flower-beds,  prismatic  with  the  colors  of 
their  many  blossoms  ;  and  wide,  red,  gravel  walks 
between  rows  of  lime  trees ;  and  aviaries  musical 
with  birds,  and  cages  alive  with  tame  animals,  for 
the  maniac  to  foster  and  fondle,  and  be  himself 
tamed  in  the  kindly  act.f 

Here  one  madman  might  be  seen,  drawing  after 
him  a  wheeled  chair,  in  which  his  helpless  brother 
sat  drinking  in  the  fragrant  breeze.  There  was 

*  Dr.  Conolly  on  the  Construction  and  Government  of 
Lunatic  Asylums, 
f  Dr.  Conolly. 
14 


5210  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

another,  moody  and  lethargic,  who  had  been  tempt- 
ed out  by  the  kindly  words  of  him  on  whose  arm 
he  rested.  Some,  like  children,  came  running  with 
the  hoop  ;  others  stood  still  to  play  at  battledore. 
Yonder  was  a  noisy  crew,  sporting  with  fantastic 
mirth  on  the  smooth  bowling  green ;  and,  in  shel- 
tered corners,  some  rode  the  rocking-horse,  others 
forgot  their  follies  over  their  ninepins,  while  others 
'in  the  distance  worked  at  the  healthful  farm.* 

As  the  evening  drew  in,  the  walls  which  had 
formerly  echoed  only  to  the  groans,  shrieks,  and 
ravings  of  their  furious  prisoners,  now  sounded 
cheerily  with  the  music  of  flute,  clarionet,  and  violin, 
played  by  hands  that  a  little  while  back  would  but 
have  rattled  the  chain.  And  some  sang  plaintive 
ballads,  and  others  merry  songs ;  while,  in  the 
spacious  hall  below,  hundreds  danced  together  with 
quaint  mirth,  freely  and  fantastically  as  they 


And,  when  the  hour  of  bed-time  came,  cheer- 
ful faces  and  grateful  looks  told  how  well  the  kindly 
treatment  worked  ;  while  the  wild  dancers,  with 
their  limbs  tired  and  weary  with  their  sport,  longed 
for  the  rest  that  formerly  the  maniac  had  seldom 
known.  And,  if  even  then  they  could  not  rest, 
there  was,  ever  in  the  depth  of  the  night,  a  kindly 
hand  near  them  to  bathe  their  burning  brow  or 
moisten  their  parched  lips  with  cooling  drink. 
*  Dr.  Conollv. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  211 

For,  whereas  before,  the  cries  of  the  restless  only 
brought  some  savage  keeper  to  strap  them  the 
tighter  in  their  beds,  now  there  came,  in  instant 
answer  to  their  wants,  a  gentle  hand,  bearing  some 
refreshing  draught,  or  ready  to  make  the  bed  afresh 
or  put  a  cool,  clean  dress  upon  the  fevered  limbs ; 
and  then,  with  a  kind  and  cheerful  good  night,  to 
leave  the  poor  creatures  at  least  calmed  and  grate- 
ful, if  not  to  sleep.* 

After  this  came  the  crown  ing- work  of  all,  where- 
in men,  by  the  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS,  were  made  to 
appear  as  gods,  giving  mind,  and  almost  senses,  to 
human  creatures  who  seemed  lower  in  intelligence 
than  even  the  beasts  of  the  field. 

The  troubled  brain  had  been  composed,  and 
the  heart  of  the  maniac  tranquilized,  but  it  yet 
remained  for  the  Spirit  of  Kindness  to  show 
that  by  her  wondrous  power  even  the  crushed 
intellect  could  be  restored  and  the  lost  affections 
regained. 

Instantly  with  a  wave  of  the  Magic  Branch,  the 
kindly  tutor  was  seen  seated  in  the  maniac  school, 
among  his  crazy  and  idiot  scholars,  like  a  father 
among  his  children,  encouraging  them,  assisting 
them,  directing  them,  and  promoting  all  kinds  of 
easy  and  pleasant  mental  exercises,  that  might  by 
gentle  efforts  lead  back  again  those  powers  by  the 

*  Dr.  Conolly,  on  the  Construction  and  Government  of 
Lunatic  Asylums. 


212  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

loss  of  which  all  is  lost  that  is  worth  preserving.* 
The  tranquillity,  the  consent,  the  cheerfulness  of  that 
little  room,  was  a  thing  to  be  remembered  for  all  time. 

Now  one  poor  maniac,  whose  wandering  eye 
still  told  the  fever  of  his  brain,  stood  up  with 
cheerfulness,  and  recited  a  short  poem ;  while 
those  around,  though  as  mad  as  he,  listened  atten- 
tively to  all  he  said.  Then  the  witless  crew  sang 
together,  keeping  time  and  harmony,  without  one 
to  lead  them  whose  senses  were  less  disordered 
than  their  own,  while  the  little  band  that  accom- 
panied them  was  played  by  creatures  as  crazy  as 
the  rest. 

Next  they  ranged  themselves  in  mimic  rank  and 
file,  while  the  youngest  of  the  class,  a  little  idiot 
boy  of  five  years  old,  who  a  little  while  ago  could 
scarcely  move  his  torpid  limbs,  followed  the  rest, 
imitating  their  actions — holding  out  first  his  right 
arm,  then  the  left,  and  marching  now  this  way, 
now  that,  at  the  word  of  command,  to  the  sound 
of  a  drum,  beaten  with  all  the  lively  skill  of  a 
soldier's  hand,  by  another  idiot,  who  strutted  along 
delighted  with  the  drummer-clothes  he  wore.f 

And  all  this  was  done  by  a  band  of  beings  whose 
powers  both  of  mind  and  body,  seemed  the  very 
despair  of  art,  holding  out  such  li ttle  hope  of  culture 

*  Dr.  Fabret.  at  the  schools  for  the  insane  and  the 
idiotic  at  the  Saltpetriere. 

t  Idiot  school  of  M.  Seguin,  at  Bicetre, 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  213 

that  formerly  the  wretched,  witless  things  would 
have  been  left  to  mope  away  their  lives  in  uncared- 
for  indolence  and  apathy. 

But  among  these  many  wonders  was  seen  the 
greatest  wonder  of  the  whole. — There  stood  one 
who  for  many  years  had  been  an  idiot  in  his  intel- 
lect, his  inclinations,  and  even  his  senses — a  creat- 
ure in  utter  discord  with  the  human  world  with- 
out ;  signalized  by  a  voracious,  indiscriminate, 
gluttonous  appetite — a  hideous,  insatiable  craving 
— and  a  blind  and  terrible  instinct  of  destruction. 
He  was  wholly  an  animal — without  attachment, 
without  tact,  intelligence,  power  of  attention,  or 
sense  of  property  or  right.  His  eyes  were  never 
fixed,  and  seemed  to  act  without  his  will ;  his 
taste  was  depraved  ;  his  touch  obtuse ;  his  ear 
scarcely  recognized  sounds  ;  and  he  barely  seemed 
to  be  possessed  of  the  sense  of  smell.  Devouring 
every  thing,  however  disgusting ;  brutally  sensual 
and  passionate ;  breaking,  tearing,  destroying,  what- 
ever he  could  lay  his  hands  upon,  and,  if  prevent- 
ed, then  pinching,  biting,  and  scratching  himself, 
until  he  was  covered  with  blood.  He  walked  with 
difficulty,  and  could  neither  run,  leap,  nor  exert 
the  act  of  throwing.  Sometimes  he  sprang  like  a 
leopard,  and  his  sole  delight  was  to  strike  one  sono- 
rous body  against  another,  and — to  put  the  last 
ghastly  touch  to  the  degrading  picture — he  was  so 
attracted  by  the  eyes  of  his  brothers,  sisters,  and 


214  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

playfellows,  as  to  be  continually  striving  to  push 
them  out  with  his  fingers.* 

And  now  what  a  magic  change  had  untiring 
care  and  loving-kindness  worked  !  There  stood 
this  same  poor  idiot-boy,  docile  in  his  manners, 
decent  in  his  habits,  and  capable — though  not 
without  some  little  effort — of  directing  his  vague 
senses  and  wandering  attention,  so  that  his  memory 
was  stored  with  some  little  knowledge,  and  he 
could  tell  the  names  of  the  simple  objects  and 
figures  that  surrounded  him,  while  he  had  become 
affectionately  conscious  of  the  presence  of  his 
kindly  teachers  and  friends.  Redeemed  from  the 
constant  dominion  of  the  lowest  animal  propensities 
— with  the  few  fragments  of  faculties  that  had 
been  left  him,  cultivated — and  others  even  called 
into  life — it  was  most  affecting  to  see  the  poor 
little  fellow  come  foward  and  hear  him  sing  his 
little  ballad,  and  recite  his  little  prayer — to  see 
him  write  as  steadily  and  as  well  as  most  youths 
in  his  station  of  life — and  watch  him  count  by 
means  of  marbles  or  small  pieces  of  wood.  Some- 
times, it  is  true,  the  poor  half-witted  lad  would 
fail  in  his  answers,  but  soon  encouraged  by  the 
kindly  voice  of  his  master,  he  would  make  a 
second  effort,  and  rectify  himself — the  crowning 

*  M.  Voisin's  description  of  Charles  Emile,  an  idiot 
boy,  •who  who  was  confined  and  actually  educated  in  the 
Bicetre  Asylum. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


215 


glory  of  the  marvel  being  that,  while  the  senses, 
the  muscular  powers,  and  the  intellect  had  receiv- 
ed some  culture,  the  habits  had  been  improved, 
the  propensities  regulated,  and  play  given  to  the 
affections ;  so  that  a  ivild,  ungovernable  animal, 
calculated  to  excite  only  fear,  aversion  or  disgust, 
stood  transformed  by  the  wondrous  magic  of  the 
Spirit  of  Kindness  into  the  likeness  and  manners 
of  a  man* 

*  Dr.  Conolly's  account  of  the  idiot  schools  of  Paris. 


^ 


UAN  returned  with  Anthy  to  the 
J  Palace,  and  entreated  Evoe  that 
I  she  would  watch  over  and  con- 
'  sole  his  poor  stricken  sister  in  her 
affliction. 

Then  he  bent  his  steps  to  the  King,  and  be- 
sought him  that  he  would  come  with  him  and  see 
the  change  that  had  been  worked. 

So  Ulphilas,  with  Aleph  and  all  his  court,  pro- 
ceeded straightway  to  the  madhouse.  And,  when 
the  King  saw  what  Kindness  had  done  upon  those 
whose  hearts  seemed  closed  to  its  influence,  he  turn- 
ed to  his  courtiers  and  asked  what  reward  should 
be  given  to  the  man  that  had  wrought  the  marvel. 
The  assembled  nobles  answered,  that  "  Heaven 
alone  could  compensate  him.  The  honors  that 
man  could  bestow  would  only  be  a  fraction  of  his 
due." 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  217 

Then  Ulphilas  called  Huan  to  him,  and  implor- 
ed him  to  remain  forever  by  his  side,  so  that  he 
might  profit  by  his  counsels  and  learn  to  govern 
his  people  with  the  same  kindly  principles  as  he 
had  used  to  govern  the  savage  and  the  maniac. 
And  he  said,  "  According  to  thy  word,  all  my  peo- 
ple shall  be  ruled,  and  only  in  the  throne  will  I  be 
greater  than  thou.  I  will  set  thee  over  all  the 
land,  and  even  my  own  son  shall  be  under  thee." 

Now,  when  Aleph  heard  the  speech,  though  he 
bowed  in  obedience  to  the  command,  still,  his  heart 
swelled  with  wounded  pride,  and  he  looked  in 
anger  upon  Huan. 

But  when  it  was  known  throughout  the  nation 
that  the  good  Dwarf  was  to  rule  over  them,  the 
city  grew  merry  with  the  news,  and  they  feasted 
the  hungry  and  clothed  the  naked,  crying  in  their 
joy,  "  Now  shall  evil  cease  and  happiness  alone 
reign  in  the  land." 

Then  Huan  sent  heralds  throughout  the  country 
to  cite  the  people  to  the  city  from  far  and  near. 
And,  as  the  crowd  that  gathered  round  the  trum- 
peted messengers,  heard  the  summons,  they  mar- 
veled at  the  meaning  of  it,  and  asked  among  them- 
selves "  Why  is  our  presence  needed  ?" 

And,  when  the  wondering  multitude  had  been 
assembled,  Huan  led  them  to  a  high  mountain 
beyond  the  gates  of  the  capital. 

Then  he  bade  the  people  say  whether  they  loved 


218  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

their  neighbors  as  themselves ;  and,  immediately, 
the  hills  echoed  with  one  loud  cry  of  "  We  do  ! 
we  do !" 

Then,  as  Huan,  raised  the  magic  branch  above 
his  head,  there  arose  from  the  far-off  sea  a  dewy 
mist ;  and,  as  the  sun  behind  them  shone  full  upon 
it,  there  was  seen  in  the  skies  the  mirage  of  a  dis- 
tant land.  And,  pictured  in  the  far  air,  the  won- 
dering people  beheld  a  peaceful  plain  studded  with 
groups  of  large  cotton  trees,  and  plumed  with 
thickets  of  oil  and  sago-palms — their  stems  spotted 
white  and  scarlet  with  the  flowers  of  the  bind- 
weeds that  twined  around  them.  And,  set  in 
fields  of  the  purple-flowered  indigo  and  white  and 
red  rice,  stood  a  cluster  of  round  clay  huts  with 
their  conical  roofs  thatched  with  the  yellow  leaves 
of  the  fan-palm. 

In  the  distance  twisted  a  broad  river,  through 
banks  blushing  with  the  blossoms  of  the  almond 
and  the  cream-fruit  tree ;  while  the  neighboring 
hills  were  here  gray  with  the  barren  granite,  and 
there  motley  with  the  bloom  of  the  sweet-smelling 
heaths  and  rock-roses. 

And,  beneath  the  shade  of  the  tamarind  trees 
sat  men  with  their  skins  black  as  ebony,  weaving 
many-colored  rushes,  while,  in  the  far-off  fields, 
women,  with  their  skins  as  black  as  those  who 
wove,  braved  the  scorching  sun,  though  it  cast  no 
shadow  of  their  figures  along  the  ground,  and  tilled 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  219 

the  parched  earth  or  tended  the  herds  of  black 
cattle  that  waded  through  the  long,  thick  grass. 

Presently,  were  seen  the  white  sails  of  a  strange 
ship,  slowly  gliding  up  the  stream.  As  it  neared 
the  village,  a  boat  left  it  for  the  shore ;  and  there 
white-faced  men,  stepped  from  it,  and  went  along 
the  banks  beating  big  drums.  Instantly,  the  skies 
grew  red  with  the  fires  that  blazed  up  in  answer 
on  the  hill-tops,  telling  the  Christian  crew  that  the 
human  cargo  they  had  come  to  buy  was  ready  to 
be  sold. 

Then,  as  Huan  again  waved  his  branch,  the 
scene  darkened  with  the  shades  of  night,  and,  as 
all  around  grew  black,  the  little  windows  of  the 
huts  shone  yellow  with  the  lights  within.  As  the 
moon  rose  from  behind  the  dusky  mountains,  and 
its  beams  fell  in  a  silver  shower  on  the  peaked 
roofs,  the  lights  vanished  one  by  one  from  the  win- 
dows, and  the  negro-village  was  hushed  in  slum- 
ber. 

Then,  from  the  hill-tops,  a  black  flood  of  men 
came  pouring  down — their  arms  glittering  white 
in  the  moonlight — led  on  by  their  half-clad  king, 
eager  for  the  human  plunder.  The  treacherous 
band  surrounded  the  sleeping  village  so  that  none 
might  escape,  and,  firing  the  huts,  the  scene  grew 
light  as  day  with  the  flames.  Then  men,  women, 
and  children  were  seen  rushing,  screaming,  from 
their  homes ;  and  husbands  and  fathers  hurried 


220  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

forth,  spear  in  hand,  to  defend  their  wives  and 
little  ones,  while  others  madly  attacked  their  foes, 
preferring  to  lose  their  lives  rather  than  outlive 
their  liberty.* 

Some  of  the  villagers  were  seized  and  bound 
together  with  thongs ;  while  others,  escaping,  fled 
toward  the  river,  pursued  by  the  ruthless  robbers, 
and,  plunging  in,  the  moonlit  waters  were  black 
over  with  their  heads,  as  they  swam  for  refuge  to 
the  Christian  ship.  As  they  breasted  the  stream, 
the  white-faced  crew  cheered  them  on,  inviting 
them  to  seek  protection  there.  But,  as  some  of  the 
stranger-seamen  welcomed  them  and  helped  them 
gain  the  deck,  others,  immediately  they  set  upon 
it,  sprang,  armed  with  cutlasses,  upon  the  trusting 
blacks,  and,  dragging  them  below,  cast  them  into 
bondage  forever.t 

Then  as  the  magic  branch  was  again  waved, 
the  same  village  was  seen  lighted  by  the  morning 
sun,  the  white  smoke  rising  from  the  ruins  that 
marked  the  spots  where  the  huts  had  stood,  while 
all  round,  in  black  and  red  masses,  lay  the  slaugh- 
tered villagers. 

Then  long  canoes,  well  manned  and  armed,  were 
seen  sweeping  through  the  tall  mat  rushes,  that 
flanked  the  neighboring  creeks,  and  in  the  bottom 
of  the  boats  lay  heaps  of  wretched  captives,  thrown 
one  above  the  other,  with  their  hands  and  feet 

*  Clarkson.  t  Old  and  New  Town,  Calabar. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS  221 

lashed  with  matting  ;  while  along  the  yellow  path 
a  cloud  of  dust  was  seen,  and  droves  of  manacled 
blacks  moved  slowly  toward  the  ship,  bound  to- 
gether at  the  neck,  with  thongs  of  buffalo  hide ; 
but  now  they  stopped  to  free  the  hand  and  neck  of 
one,  who  spent  with  his  sufferings,  sank  to  the 
ground,  and  was  left  to  die.* 

And  when  the  captive  flock  had  all  been  herded 
together,  the  Christian  strangers,  came  from  the 
ship,  and  walked  up  and  down  the  human  cattle- 
fair,  haggling  with  the  heartless  dealers,  now  giving 
a  pistol,  or  a  keg  of  spirits  in  exchange  for  this 
man,  and  now  a  bar  of  unwrought  iron,  a  yard  or 
two  of  printed  cotton,  and  a  few  colored  beads  as 
the  purchase-money  of  that  family.t 

Then  as  the  black  dealers  returned  from  the  fair, 
delighted  with  their  gains,  Huan  showed  the  peo- 
ple how  they  grew  greedy  for  more. 

Hurrying  back  to  their  own  villages,  some  hid 
themselves  in  the  forest,  and  crouching  in  the  un- 
derwood, watched  beside  the  paths  that  ran  from 
village  to  village,  as  a  huntsman  watches  for  his 
game ;  and  as  the  unsuspecting  traveler  strolled 
along,  they  sprang  out  and  secured  their  prize. 
Others  lurked  in  the  tall  weeds,  that  grew  near 
the  springs,  so  that  they  might  pounce  upon  those 
that  came  to  quench  their  thirst. 

Some  more  treacherous  than  these  proclaimed  a 
*  Clarkson.  t  Sir  F.  Bnxton. 


222  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

feast,  and  regaled  their  simple  trusting  friends  with 
the  spirits  they  had  received  from  the  Christian 
crew,  and  when  they  had  made  the  feasters  help- 
less with  the  drink,  they  lashed  their  limbs  together, 
and  carrying  them  to  the  huge  factory,  stored  them 
there  for  a  future  sale.  Others,  made  avaricious 
by  their  heartless  gains,  gambled  madly  among 
themselves  for  more  ;  and  when  they  had  lost  all 
they  had,  they  staked  the  freedom  of  their  wives 
and  children,  against  a  few  bright  blue  beads  ;  and 
when  these  had  gone  too,  in  the  frenzy  of  the 
game,  they  wagered  even  their  own  liberty,  and 
by  an  unlucky  throw  enslaved  themselves  as  they 
had  enslaved  their  kindred  for  life.* 

Then,  as  the  vision  melted  from  the  skies,  Huan 
turned  to  the  shuddering  crowd,  and  lifting  up  his 
hands,  cried  again  "  Shall  we  say  we  love  our 
brethren  as  ourselves,  and  still  let  these  things  be  ?" 

And  the  people  one  and  all  exclaimed,  in  an- 
swer; "  No,  they  shall  not  be." 

Again  Huan  waved  the  magic  branch,  and 
again  there  was  a  mirage  in  the  skies,  and  a  ves- 
sel was  seen  taking  in  its  live  cargo.  As  the  ne- 
groes set  foot  upon  the  deck,  the  white  men  bound 
them  together  two  and  two,  some  by  the  neck, 
and  others  by  the  leg,  with  fetters  of  solid  iron. 
While  some  of  the  crew  were  busy  riveting  the 
irons,  others  placed  strong  netting  high  up  along 
*  See  Clarkson's  Essay. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  223 

the  shrouds  of  the  ship,  so  that  none  of  the  pre- 
cious lives  might  he  lost,  by  the  captives  leaping 
overboard. 

As  the  slaves  sat  huddled  together  on  the  deck, 
about  to  leave  their  native  land  forever,  and  be 
torn  from  all  that  was  dear  to  them,  they  watched 
eagerly  for  some  means  to  end  their  hopeless  days. 
Some,  despite  all  the  care,  leaped  with  happy  faces 
into  the  shark-infested  stream,  and,  immediately,  the 
waters  were  red  with  their  blood ;  others  refusing 
to  eat,  the 'receivers  stood  over  them  with  the  food 
in  one  hand  and  the  lash  in  the  other,  still  neither 
the  threats  nor  even  the  whip  itself  could  make 
the  resolute  wretches  part  their  lips.  Then  live 
coals  were  brought,  and  pressed  close  against  their 
mouths,  but  still  the  poor  things  held  them  fast. 
At  length  an  iron  instrument  was  used  to  wrench 
their  jaws  asunder,  and  liquids  poured  down  their 
throats,  to  save  the  lives  that  were  so  dear  to  the 
Christians.*  Others  again,  driven  mad  by  their 
sufferings,  sat  chained  by  the  neck  to  the  masts,  or 
lay  on  their  backs  fastened  to  the  deck  of  the  ves- 
sel ;  and  there  they  raved,  now  cursing  their  en- 
slavers, and  now  breaking  out  into  dismal  songs, 
bewailing  the  loss  of  their  friends  and  country — 
and  thus  to  be  kept  till  they  either  died  in  their 
ravings,  or  in  a  lucid  interval  were  sold  as  "  sound." 

One,  more  desperate  than  the  rest,  as  he  sat 
*  Clarkson. 


224  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

chained  to  his  fellow,  seized  a  knife  from  the  hand 
of  a  white  man  as  he  ate,  and  then,  even  fettered 
as  he  was,  darted  forward,  and  plunged  it  into  the 
heart  of  his  Christian  enslaver.  And  the  desperate 
wretch  would  have  wreaked  his  vengeance  on  the 
rest,  but,  finding  the  partner  of  his  chains  afraid 
to  follow  him,  he  stabbed  his  black  brother,  as  one 
unfit  to  live.* 

Then,  as  the  wind  sprang  up,  the  human  cargo 
was  forced  down  into  the  low,  dark  hold.  And 
through  the  airy  sides  of  the  spectral  slave-ship  the 
poor  wretches  were  seen  stowed  as  any  other  lum- 
ber, close  as  bales,  so  that  even  the  room  necessary 
to  change  their  position  and  ease  their  cramped 
muscles  might  not  be  lost.  Some  lay  on  their 
backs,  on  ledges  one  above  another,  others  sat  cross- 
legged,  there  to  be  tossed  and  rolled  about  by  the 
vessel,  till,  by  the  chafing  of  the  boards,  their  very 
bones  should  work  their  way  through  the  muscles 
and  the  skin.t 

Then  as  the  vessel  sailed  away,  there  was  seen 
the  large  fin  of  many  a  shark — made  prescient  by 
its  hunger — cutting  the  waters  in  the  wake.J 

Again  Huan  waved  his  branch,  and  the  ship 
was  seen  far  away  at  sea.  As  the  sun  broke  out 
from  between  the  thick  clouds,  and  shone  on  the 

*  Clarkson. 

t  Captain  Pilkington,  R.  N.,  quoted  by  Lord  George 
Bentinck,  in  the  House  of  Commons.  t  Buxton 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  225 

wet  decks,  the  glittering  tarpaulings  were  taken 
from  the  hatches,  and  the  gratings  uncovered  at 
last,  after  the  long  rain.  As  they  were  lifted  off, 
the  rank  steam  came  reeking  up  from  the  hold  like 
the  vapor  from  a  boiling  pot,  while  the  sailors 
stood  back  to  avoid  the  blast  that  streamed  forth, 
hot  as  from  an  oven.  Then  came  the  rabid  rush 
and  scream  for  air  below,  while  all  pressed  forward 
to  the  light  to  drink  in  the  sweet  cool  breeze. 
Some  were  hindered  by  the  partner  of  their  chains, 
lying  dead  beside  them,  and,  though  they  strove, 
they  lacked  the  power  to  drag  him  after  them ; 
others,  bruised  and  bleeding  in  the  struggle,  fainted 
and  were  trampled  under  foot  by  their  stronger 
brethren.*  Then  as  the  black  multitude  were 
mustered  on  the  deck,  those  that  were  sick  and 
those  that  were  dying  were  cast  into  the  sea,  so 
that  the  remainder  of  the  human  cargo  might 
escape  contagion,  and  the  loss,  by  some  crafty 
plea  of  necessity,  be  made  to  fall  upon  the  Chris- 
tian insurers  rather  than  the  Christian  owners  of 
the  vessel. t 

After  this  came  the  most  fearful  time  of  all. 
The  sky  was  like  a  vault  of  lead,  and  the  breast 
of  the  petrel,  as  it  whirled  above  the  mast-tops, 
shone  with  a  double  whiteness  against  the  black 
clouds.  The  sea  was  like  a  vast  waste  of  drifting 

*  See  Clarkson's  Essay  on  Slavery, 
t    Rev.  Pascoe  Hill. 
15 


226  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

snow,  with  the  fury  of  restless  waves ;  while  the 
vessel,  stripped  of  its  masts,  was  driven  before  the 
hurricane  like  a  leaf  in  the  wind.  As  the  waves 
smote  the  sides  of  the  ship,  she  stopped  for  a  minute, 
as  if  stunned,  and  quivered  again  with  the  hlow  ; 
while  the  waters  swept  over  the  deck,  covering  the 
ship  with  a  shroud.  Then  the  gratings  were  again 
battened  down  and  sealed  with  the  tarpaulings 
— as  if  with  the  black  seal  of  death — so  that 
neither  water  nor  even  air  could  enter.  Then  the 
pumps  were  worked,  but,  though  the  crewr,  one 
and  all,  labored  at  them  with  desperate  energy, 
still  the  water  in  the  hold  gained  upon  them,  while 
the  hideous  and  piercing  screams  that  rose  from 
beneath  the  hatches,  told  that  the  slaves  were 
choking  and  drowning  down  below.  Then  the 
sky  was  lighted  for  a  moment  with  the  flash  of  a 
gun,  that  cried  aloud  in  the  wide  waste  of  waters 
for  help. 

At  last  a  sail  appeared  in  sight.  As  she  bore 
down  in  answer  to  the  signal  of  distress,  the  boats 
were  lowered,  and  then  the  heartless  Christian 
crew  were  seen  to  quit  the  sinking  hull — and  leave 
its  wretched  human  freight — fast  battened  down — 
to  the  mercy  of  the  boiling  waves.* 

Once  more  Huan  asked  the  multitude  whether 
such  things  should  be,  and  once  more  they  answer- 
ed, "  No ;  they  shall  not  be." 
*  Clarkson. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  227 

Again  the  branch  was  waved,  and  again  the 
scene  was  changed.  And  the  more  fortunate  ships 
that  had  braved  the  tempest,  rode  securely  at 
anchor  in  the  distant  bay.  In  the  center  of  a 
large  market  on  the  shore,  were  seen,  penned,  the 
less  fortunate  blacks  that  had  not  perished  in  the 
storm.  Beside  the  fresh  slaves  exposed  there  for 
sale  stood  others,  who  had  been  long  in  servitude, 
and  nearly  all  with  their  bodies  scarred  and  maimed 
with  the  marks  of  the  passion,  despotism,  or  caprice 
of  their  late  masters.  Those  that  had  come  to 
buy,  walked  round  and  scanned  the  forms  and  felt 
the  muscles  of  those  that  were  for  sale.  And,  as 
they  picked  out  and  paid  for  some  father  and 
husband  that  pleased  them,  the  wife  and  children 
would  cry  aloud,  and  beg  of  the  buyer  to  buy  them 
too.  And,  when  the  mother  and  little  ones  had 
begged  in  vain,  and  the  time  came  for  their  separa- 
tion forever,  they  would  appeal  for  mercy  by  every 
sign  and  gesture,  and  cling  so  fast  to  the  limbs  of 
him  they  dearly  loved,  that  the  lash  alone  could 
sever  them  from  their  last  embrace.* 

And,  when  the  strong  and  hale  had  been  sold, 
there  came  the  Jews  to  risk  a  trifle  on  the  chance 
of  the  returning  health  of  the  sick  and  weak  ;  and 
these  were  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  then  sent 
home  to  be  nursed  and  fatted  up  for  a  future  sale  ; 
while  those  that  were  too  weak  and  sickly  for  the 
*  Sir  T.  Buxton. 


228  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

boldest  speculator  to  hazard  any  thing  upon,  were 
taken  back  again  to  the  ship,  either  to  be  starved  to 
death,  or  else,  while  still  living,  cast  with  the  dead 
body  of  their  companion  in  chains  into  the  sea.* 

Once  more  the  scene  was  changed,  and  those 
that  were  taken  home  from  the  sale  had  their  ears 
slit  and  their  shoulders  branded  as  a  mark  of  the 
property  of  their  Christian  owners.  After  this, 
they  were  sent  to  the  field  to  toil  from  the  rising 
of  the  sun  far  into  the  night — badly  clothed — 
miserably  fed — their  drudgery  intense  and  incessant 
— their  rest  short — without  a  single  law  to  protect 
their  wearied  limbs  t — without  the  possibility  of 
their  wrongs — without  even  a  Sabbath  to  rest 
redress — without  a  hope  that  their  situation  would 
be  bettered,  unless,  indeed,  death  should  end  their 
sufferings.  For  Huan  showed  the  people  that  if, 
still  worn  with  fatigue  after  their  scanty  sleep,  the 
poor  blacks  came  not  to  the  field  exactly  at  the  ap- 
pointed hour — if,  drooping  with  sickness,  they 
appeared  to  work  unwillingly  at  the  sugar-cane — 
or  if  the  bundle  of  grass  they  had  been  collecting 
blade  by  blade,  beneath  the  burning  sun,  seemed 
too  small  in  the  eye  of  their  task-master,  then  the 

*  See  Clarkson,  page  102. 

t  "  While  the  horse  has  one  day  in  seven  to  refresh  his 
limbs,  the  African  has  but  one  in  fifty-two,  has  a  relaxation 
from  his  labors.  For,  if  the  negroes  do  not  employ  their 
Sundays  in  the  cultivation  of  their  little  spots,  they  must 
be  starved." — Clarkson,  p.  151. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  229 

whip  was  sure  to  fall  heavily  on  their  hacks,  scoring 
their  black  skins  red  at  almost  every  stroke,  so  that 
the  smack  of  it  rang  the  whole  day  long  in  the  ears 
of  all  that  were  near.* 

Next  was  seen  one  who,  sick  at  heart  and  weak 
with  fatigue,  fell  down  beneath  his  burden.  But 
the  rattan  was  plied  to  raise  him,  and  the  poor 
spent  slave  staggered  to  his  feet  once  more.  A 
few  steps  further,  and,  unequal  to  the  task,  he  sank 
to  the  earth  again.  Then  the  savage  task-master, 
enraged  at  what  he  thought  the  sullen  spirit  of  the 
black,  repeated  his  blows,  as  he  swore  to  make  him 
rise,  and  lashed,  and  lashed,  till  the  worn-out  negro 
expired  at  his  feet.f  Then  Huan  showed  them 
one  poor  soul,  on  whom  the  terrors  of  the  whip  had 
been  exhausted,  placed  in  an  iron  coffin  pierced 
with  holes,  and  set  so  near  a  fire,  that  the  inmate 
writhed  and  shrieked  within. J  And,  when  he  had 
died  under  the  torture,  and  the  officers  came  to 
claim  the  fine  that  Christian  justice  had  imposed 
as  a  compensation  for  the  wrong,  the  master  gave 
them  the  sum — in  value  scarcely  the  purchase 
money  of  a  horse — that  the  law  had  named  as  full 
and  sufficient  punishment  for  the  murder  of  a 
black. § 

After  this,  as  the  people  groaned  and  shuddered 
at  the  wrongs,  Huan  showed  them  the  last  dread- 
ful scene  of  all.  A  wilderness,  dark  with  the  thick 

*  Wilherforce.        t   Clarkson.        t  Ibid.        §  Ibid. 


230  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

set  trees  was  seen.  Presently  a  negro,  who  had 
escaped  from  his  overwhelming  toil,  and  on  whose 
head  a  price  was  set,  darted  by,  his  black  skin 
whitened  with  the  lather  of  his  limbs,  and  looking 
back  in  fear,  as  he  threaded  in  and  out  the  trees. 
When  he  had  gone,  there  came  two  blood-hounds, 
with  their  noses  to  the  ground,  sniffing  for  the 
human  scent  they  knew  so  well ;  and  after  them  a 
huntsman,  mounted  on  his  horse,  with  his  rifle 
ready-cocked  in  his  hand.  And  when  these  had 
passed,  there  was  seen  in  the  darkness  of  the  distant 
wood  the  bright  flash  of  a  gun. 

Then  the  scene  was  changed  once  more,  and  men 
sat  drinking  in  a  tavern.  As  they  laughed  and 
joked,  the  door  was  flung  suddenly  back,  and  the 
same  huntsman  entered,  with  the  same  blood- 
hounds whining  and  jumping  up  about  him.  Ad- 
vancing to  the  table  where  the  drinkers  sat,  the 
huntsman  dashed  down  among  the  wine-cups  the 
bleeding  head  of  the  runaway  slave,  and  demanded 
of  one  of  the  revelers  the  price  that  he  had  set 
upon  it.* 

Now  when  Huan  had  sho\vn  these  scenes  to  the 
people,  he  cried  a  third  time,  "  Shall  we  say  we 
love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves,  and  still  let  these 
things  be  ?" 

And  a  third  time  the  people  answered,  "No; 
they  shall  not  be." 

*   Clarkson,  p.  109. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  231 

Then  Huan  said,  "It  is  for  you  to  break  the 
chains  that  bind  these  wretched  men — it  is  for  you 
to  stop  the  stealing  and  the  slaying  of  your  dark- 
skinned  brethren.  Let  each  give  his  mite." 

Instantly,  all  with  one  accord  threw  down  their 
little  offering  ;  and  the  golden  heap  grew  and  grew 
until  the  people's  bounty  numbered  twice  ten  mill- 
ion pieces. 

Then  the  whip  ceased,  and  the  cries  were  hushed, 
and  the  mother  shrieked  no  more. 

And  there  was  a  vision  in  the  skies  of  a  rude 
temple  by  night,  where  knelt  the  grateful  negroes, 
with  the  yellow  light  streaming  down  and  tinting 
their  black  faces,  and  their  upturned  eyes  shining 
white  as  large  pearls,  while  their  hands  were 
clasped,  as  he  who  had  been  their  only  Friend 
taught  them  to  speak  the  homely  prayer,  they  long- 
ed but  lacked  the  skill  to  utter. 

And,  as  their  prayers  went  up  to  Heaven,  the 
golden  finger  of  the  dial  crept  slowly  on,  until  it 
marked  the  hour  of  midnight. 

Then,  as  the  bells  chimed  forth  the  long-looked- 
for  time,  telling  them  the  first  moment  of  their  pre- 
cious liberty  had  at  last  arrived,  the  voice  of  the 
preacher-friend  was  heard  crying  in  the  stilly  depth 
of  the  night.  "  Slaves  you  are  free  !"* 

In  a  moment  there  burst  forth  from  a  million 
throats  one  long,  loud,  lusty  cheer  ;  and  there  was 
*  See  Life  of  Knibb. 


232  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

a  scream  of  wild  joy,  and  the  sky  flashed  crimson 
with  the  red  flames  of  the  fires  of  a  mighty  jubilee. 
Then  came  floating  on  the  night-breeze  the 
hymn  of  thanksgiving,  sung  by  a  thousand  grateful 
voices.  But,  louder  than  the  mighty  music  of  un- 
locked for  liberty,  was  heard  the  sound  of  trumpets 
in  the  heavens  above,  heralding  the  wondrous 
kindness  of  the  deed ;  till  the  whole  world  rang 
with  the  glory  of  it,  and  other  tribes  woke  up  with 
the  far-sounding  praise,  and  stood  aghast  at  the 
unparalleled  charity  of  the  act.* 

*  See  Life  of  Knibb. 


OVEKNED  by  Huan's  counsels, 
the  people  of  Asulon  lived  in 
peace,  happiness,  and  plenty  :  and 
all  loved  the  Dwarf  but  Aleph, 
who  was  still  angry  that  his  fos- 
ter brother  should  have  been  set 
over  him. 

Ulphilas  in  his  old  age  rejoiced  in  the  comforts 
and  amity  of  his  subjects,  and  his  rule  was  that  of 
a  good  father  over  a  loving  family.  For  the  old 
warrior,  softened  by  the  teachings  of  the  Dwarf, 
grew  to  be  so  compassionate  to  those  in  want  and 
under  misfortune,  that  he  would  feed  daily  multi- 
tudes' of  poor  people  at  his  table,  in  whatever  part 
of  the  kingdom  he  might  be.  Ofttimes  he  would 
serve  them  himself,  and  from  his  own  table,  even 


234  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

before  he  had  eaten  or  drunk  ;  and,  when  fed,  he 
would  send  them  to  their  homes,  each  with  a 
certain  sum ;  so  that  the  money  he  gave  away 
in  alms  could  not  be  told  or  counted.  And,  when 
some  of  his  household  murmured  at  his  great 
gifts,  the  good  King  would  reply,  that  "  he  would 
rather  spend  his  revenue  in  charity  than  in  follies 
and  vanity."* 

Anthy  dwelt  with  Evoe  and  each  shared  her 
blessings  with  the  other,  so  that  the  afflictions 
of  the  two  were  felt  by  neither,  and  they  visited 
the  poor  and  the  sick  together  ;  for  Evoe  with 
her  eyes  would  seek  out  the  sufFering,  while  An- 
thy with  her  voice  would  comfort  and  counsel 
them. 

And  so  year  after  year  came  and  went  in  joy 
and  friendship,  until  at  last  Ulphilas,  spent  with 
old  age,  was  stricken  down,  like  one  fatigued  with 
a  long  journey.  In  the  midst  of  his  life-struggles, 
the  good  old  King  looked  at  death  as  the  patriarch 
of  old  looked  at  the  dove  that  brought  him  the 
fresh-plucked  olive  leaf,  to  tell  him  that  the  storm 
was  abating  and  peace  was  at  hand.  Then,  as 
he  felt  his  life-stream  ebbing  fast,  he  called  Huan 
and  his  children  round  him,  and  besought  the 
Dwarf,  as  a  last  request,  that  he  would  reign  over 
his  people  until  such  time  as  the  hot  blood  of  his 
son  Aleph  should  have  cooled  with  growirtg  age, 
*  See  Joinvillers  Memoirs  of  Saint  Louis  IX. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  235 

and  fitted  him  to  learn  and  love  the  kindly  princi- 
ples that  had  made  the  kingdom  so  tranquil  and  so 
happy. 

Huan  prayed  the  dying  Monarch  that  he  would 
unsay  his  words,  and  begged  Ulphilas  to  let  him 
guide  instead  of  lead,  promising  that  he  would 
serve  the  son  as  faithfully  as  he  had  served  the 
father. 

But  Ulphilas  saw  Aleph's  brow  darken  with 
jealousy  of  Huan,  and  he  said,  as  he  panted  for 
breath,  "  Nay,  my  son,  be  not  angry  with  thy 
country's  truest  friend.  I  alone  am  to  blame. 
Had  I  not  trained  thee  to  love  conquest,  thou 
mightest  now  have  been  fit  to  rule  over  a  people 
loving  peace.  Go,  unlearn  with  Huan  all  that 
thou  didst  learn  from  me,  and,  when  thou  canst 
find  more  glory  in  bearing  blows  than  in  returning 
them,  then  ask  of  him  the  crown  that  I  here  make 
over  to  him  in  trust  for  thee." 

Again  Huan  besought  the  King  to  give  his  son 
his  birthright,  and  let  him  be  the  Prince's  friend 
rather  than  the  Prince's  stumbling-block. 

But  the  dying  Ulphilas  rebuked  Huan,  telling 
him  it  was  unjust  to  hesitate  between  the  ambition 
of  one  arid  the  happiness  of  so  many.  And  he 
made  the  Dwarf  promise  he  would  not  turn  a  deaf 
ear  to  his  last  request. 

Then  the  good  old  King  blessed  the  sorrowing 
Evoe  arid  the  sullen  Aleph  ;  and,  as  he  spake  the 


236 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


kindly  words,  the  thin  hand  fell  powerless,  and  the 
trembling  voice  was  hushed,  and  then  the  spent 
spirit  floated  back  with  a  sigh  to  its  mighty  home 
—  like  a  wave  rippling  on  a  vast  shore. 


Chapter   tlje    ®tt)etU2~fifth.. 


OW,  when  it  became  known  to 
the  neighboring  nations  that  the 
warrior  Ulphilas  was  dead,  and 
the  passive  dwarf  had  been 
proclaimed  King  of  Asulon,  the 
foreign  chieftains  rose  in  arms 
crying,  "The  sword  of  him  we  feared  rests  by  his 
side  in  the  grave.  The  tribute  that  he  and  his 
people  forced  from  us,  we  will  now  force  back  from 
them." 

So  they  gathered  their  arms  together,  and  de- 
clared war  against  the  worshipers  of  the  Olive- 
branch. 

Soon  the  shepherds  came  flying  from  the  distant 
plains  to  the  city  of  Asulon,  telling  how  a  mighty 
host  was  sweeping  over  the  land  like  a  plague  of 
locusts,  covering  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  destroy- 
ing all  that  fell  in  their  way. 


238  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

Then  the  affrighted  people,  stirred  up  by  the 
jealous  Aleph,  called  upon  Huan  the  King  to  pre- 
pare for  defense  against  their  invaders,  saying,  "  The 
principle  of  kindness  is  good  for  individuals  but  not 
for  nations ;  for  if  we  resist  not  evil  now  that  an 
armed  host  is  coming  to  sack  our  town,  our  homes 
will  be  burnt,  and  our  wives  and  children  massa- 
cred by  the  enemies  we  are  told  to  love." 

But  Huan  upbraided  them  for  their  want  of  faith, 
telling  them,  "  If  those  that  came  to  fight  found 
none  to  fight  with,  there  could  be  no  fighting  on 
either  side  ;  for  that  men  did  not  go  out  with  axes 
to  cut  reeds,  nor  did  they  hurl  their  javelins  at 
shadows.  The  wall  of  stone,"  he  said,  "  could  not 
stand  against  the  ball  poured  from  the  cannon's 
mouth,  and  yet  the  bag  of  sand  could  stay  its 
course.  What,"  he  asked  them,  "  was  so  weak  as 
water  ?  Did  it  not  yield  even  to  the  breeze  ?  and 
yet,  by  its  very  yielding,  it  gained  a  force  that 
even  the  rocks  themselves  could  not  withstand." 

But  Aleph  laughed  scornfully  at  the  words  of 
the  Dwarf,  and  in  mockery  bade  the  people  go 
home  and  make  ready  their  little  all,  so  that  those 
that  came  to  plunder  might  return  laden  with  the 
easy  spoil,  and,  scoffing  at  the  craven  crew  that 
gave  it  them,  tell  others  to  come  and  take  their  fill 
also. 

And  those  who  were  as  young  and  impassioned 
as  Aleph,  listened  to  his  words,  and  cried  in 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  239 

answer,  "It  is  well  to  be  kind,  but  it  is  base  to  be 
cowardly  !  Though  we  would  not  be  heroes,  find- 
ing our  greatest  glory  in  the  slaughter  of  the  great- 
est number,  still  do  not  let  us  become  dogs,  to  lick 
the  hand  that  smites  us." 

Then  Aleph,  finding  a  spirit  of  discontent  grow- 
ing up  among  the  youths  of  the  city,  gathered 
them  around  him,  and  became  their  leader. 

And  they  rose  in  the  night,  and,  surrounding 
the  Palace,  seized  upon  Huan  and  all  those  that 
sided  with  him.  And,  when  they  had  cast  the 
Dwarf  into  prison,  Aleph  was  proclaimed  King  in 
his  stead. 

Then  the  warrior-youth  summoned  together 
again  the  troops  that  he  had  so  often  led  on  to 
conquest,  and  prepared  once  more  for  battle. 

But  the  people  still  looked  upon  Huan  as  one 
beloved  by  God,  and  feared  to  draw  the  sword,  un- 
less he  blessed  the  banners  they  were  to  fight 
under. 

So  Aleph  sought  out  Huan  in  his  dungeon,  and 
spake  kindly  to  him,  promising  him  his  liberty, 
if  he  would  but  consecrate  the  banners  of  the 
troops.  But  the  Dwarf  answered,  "  Ye  have  set 
the  Olive-branch  upon  them,  and  made  the  symbol 
of  Peace  the  emblem  of  War.  Verily,  to  implore 
a  blessing  on  the  one  is  to  invoke  a  curse  upon  the 
other." 

Presently  news  was  brought  to  the  city  that  the 


•240  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

enemy  were  within  a  few  days  march  of  Asulon. 
And  the  citizens  grew  alarmed,  and  again  cried 
aloud  for  the  blessing  of  the  Dwarf. 

Then  Aleph,  knowing  the  superstition  of  the 
multitude,  feared  to  lead  the  people  on  without 
Huan's  benison.  So  he  gathered  together  his 
troops,  and,  summoning  the  Dwarf  from  his  dun- 
geon, bade  him,  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled 
army,  invoke  a  blessing  on  the  banners — threatening 
him  with  death  if  he  withheld  it. 

But  Huan  asked  the  royal  youth  by  what  form 
of  words  he  should  call  upon  the  Compassionate, 
the  Merciful,  to  pour  down  his  grace  upon  the 
banners  of  death  ?  or  by  what  blasphemy  he  should 
invoke  the  Spirit  of  Kindness  to  bless  and  make 
holy  the  flag  of  Slaughter  ? 

Now,  when  Aleph  heard  the  rebuke,  he  shook 
with  anger,  and  the  army  grew  furious,  crying, 
"  Away  with  him  to  the  lions'  den !  away  with 
him  !" 

Then  the  unresisting  Huan  was  seized  and 
dragged  to  the  valley  beyond  the  city  walls.  And, 
while  some  set  a  rude  barrier  round  about  the 
meadow,  others  hurried  to  bring  the  cage  of  the 
roaring  monster ;  and,  when  they  had  dragged  it 
thither,  they  placed  it  in  the  center  of  the  field. 

As  the  hungry  beast  paced  restlessly  up  and 
down  its  den,  and  made  the  hills  rattle  with  its 
roar,  Anthy,  led  on  by  Evoe,  threw  herself  at 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  241 

Aleph's  feet,  and  besought  him  by  the  love  he  said 
he  bore  her,  that  he  would  spare  her  brother. 
Evoe,  too,  pointing  to  Aleph's  empty  sleeve,  silent- 
ly reminded  him  how  Huan  and  the  Blind  Girl 
had  saved  him  from  the  jaws  of  death. 

But  the  young  warrior  could  not  forget  that  his 
father,  for  the  love  of  him  they  pleaded  for,  had 
disinherited  him  of  the  throne ;  and  he  hated  the 
Dwarf  not  only  for  having  forestalled  him  of  the 
crown,  but  for  the  craven  principles  he  taught, 
even  while  an  armed  enemy  was  marching  to  lay 
waste  their  city. 

Yet  in  pity  for  the  Blind  Girl,  who  still  clung 
to  his  feet,  beseeching  his  mercy,  he  asked  the 
Dwarf  a  third  time  whether  he  would  bless  the 
banners. 

For  the  third  time  Huan  refused,  saying,  he  was 
the  minister  of  Kindness.  And  Aleph,  crimson 
with  passion  at  the  man's  stubbornness,  cried, 
"  Cast  him  in  !  Let  us  see  how  this  Kindness  will 
avail  him  with  raging  lions." 

Then  Huan  was  thrust  within  the  arena,  and  the 
savage  monster  let  loose  upon  him,  while  the  crowd 
climbed  the  neighboring  hills,  and  stood  breathless 
with  suspense,  as  they  gazed  down  upon  the  plain. 

The  huge  lion  sprang  from  his  den,  and  bounded 

toward  Huan,  who  stood  rapt  in  prayer.     But  no 

sooner  was  the  eye  of  the  creature  fixed  upon  the 

Dwarf,  than  the  black-maned  beast  crouched  at  his 

16 


242  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

feet,  and,  as  it  rolled  on  its  back,  turned  up  its 
white  stomach  to  be  fondled  by  him. 

Then  Huan  recognized  in  the  grateful  brute  the 
creature  whom  he  had  freed  of  the  thorn  ;  and,  as 
he  placed  his  foot  upon  the  lion's  side,  it  rolled 
backward  and  forward  in  the  dust,  as  it  whined  out 
again  and  again  its  noisy  gratitude. 

As  the  people  remained  silent  with  wonder  at 
the  sight,  Huan  turned  to  Aleph,  and,  as  he  looked 
upon  him,  cried  aloud,  "  See  you  now  how  Kind- 
ness availeth  a  man — even  with  raging  lions." 

Then  the  mob  in  answer,  cried  "  Verily  he  is  a 
Spirit  from  heaven ;  even  the  beasts  of  the  field 
fear  to  injure  him." 

But  the  troops  shouted,  "  He  is  a  demon,  and 
governs  lions  as  well  as  men.  To  the  stake  with 
him !  to  the  stake  !" 

In  a  moment  the  soldiers  rushed  down  into  the 
arena,  and,  with  their  spears,  slew  the  noble,  harm- 
less brute,  as  he  yet  crouched  at  the  Dwarf's  feet. 

Then,  forcing  back  the  relenting  mob,  some 
drove  a  stake  into  the  earth,  while  others,  with 
eager  hands,  cut  fagots  from  the  neighboring 
woods. 

Then,  as  they  led  him  to  the  stake,  some  spat 
upon  him,  while  others,  snatching  the  Olive- 
branch  from  him,  smote  him  with  it  in  the  face, 
crying,  "  Wilt  thou  bless  the  banners  now  ?"  But 
Huan  held  out  his  hand  in  friendship,  to  those  that 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  243 

struck  him,  saying,  "  Nay,  brothers,  I  am  a  man  of 
peace." 

Huan's  firmness  they  called  obstinacy ;  and, 
growing  only  more  savage  with  each  fresh  refusal, 
they  bethought  them  by  what  cruel  torture  they 
could  wring  the  blessing  from  him.  Then,  as  they 
saw  the  Blind  Girl  still  by  Aleph's  side,  imploring 
him  by  every  tie  that  had  ever  been  between  them, 
to  look  with  mercy  on  her  brother,  they  rushed 
toward  her ;  and,  before  the  Prince  could  stay  the 
savage  spirit  he  had  roused  and  fostered  till  it  had 
grown  beyond  his  control,  they  bore  her  down  to 
the  death-stake  of  her  brother  ;  and,  placing  a 
lighted  torch  in  her  hand,  vowed  that,  unless  the 
Dwarf  gave  the  blessing  they  sought,  his  own  sister 
should  be  his  executioner.* 

Huan,  seeing  Anthy  pale  and  powerless  with 
horror  at  the  threat,  ran  toward  her,  and,  kissing 
her  on  the  cheek,  said,  "Be  of  good  heart,  sister ! 
and  play  the  woman,  for  God  will  either  assuage 
the  fury  of  the  flame,  or  strengthen  me  to  bear 
it."t 

Then,  as  they  chained  him,  he  again  exhorted 
the  fainting  girl,  crying,  "  Be  of  good  comfort,  sister 
Anthy !  we  shall  this  day  light  such  a  fire,  by 

*  The  burning  of  William  Tylsworth,  at  Amershara, 
in  1566,  whose  only  daughter  was  compelled  to  set  fire  to 
his  pile  with  her  own  hands. 

t  Ridley,  at  the  stake. 


244  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

God's  grace,  in  Asulon,  as  I  trust  never  shall  be 
put  out."* 

As  Anthy  fell  back  senseless  the  soldiers  held  the 
lighted  torch  within  her  lifeless  hand,  and  stretched 
her  unresisting  arm  toward  the  fagots.  And, 
before  the  repenting  Aleph  could  reach  the  plain, 
the  flames  were  curling  round  about  the  unconscious 
Dwarf,  as  at  his  death  he  prayed  for — what  in 
his  life  he  had  preached — the  forgiveness  of  his 
enemies. 

As  Huan  spake  the  kindly  words,  and  looked  up 
in  prayer,  he  saw,  as  when  he  slept  in  the  cave,  the 
same  dazzling  light  streaming  down  from  Heaven, 
and  the  same  golden  clouds  resting  on  the  green 
fields,  and,  piled  one  above  another,  till  the  topmost 
was  lost  in  the  amazing  splendor  of  the  skies. 
And  the  same  white- winged  host  of  angels  mount- 
ed them  as  before,  chanting  the  glory  of  the  kindly 
words,  and  beckoning  him  to  follow  them. 

The  angel-band  melted  one  by  one  from  his 
sight,  and  the  last  stood  again  on  the  topmost 
cloud  t>f  all.  And  she  looked  back  once  more,  and 
once  more  beckoned  him  to  follow  her.  As  she 
gazed  at  him,  she  looked  upon  him  so  tenderly 
from  out  her  tearful  eyes,  and  smiled  upon  him 
with  so  compassionate  a  smile,  that  Huan  knew  it 
was  the  Spirit  of  Kindness  that  still  showed  him 
the  way  to  Heaven. 

*  Latimer.  at  the  stake. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  245 

And,  as  his  soul  struggled  to  be  gone,  the  people 
beheld  rise  from  out  the  ashes  of  the  fire  an  angel 
form,  winging  its  way  to  the  realms  of  endless 
peace. 

Then  the  repentant  multitude  fell  on  their  knees, 
and  bowed  their  heads  to  the  earth  in  worship,  as 
they  saw — the  last  and  greatest  magic  change  of 
all — the  Spirit  of  Kindness  change  the  Man  into 
the  Angel. 

And  the  hearts  of  the  people  were  turned  to 
gentleness,  and  they  one  and  all  cast  their  spears 
and  swords  and  arrows  into  the  fire,  vowing  by  the 
ashes  of  him  they  had  murdered,  that,  henceforth, 
only  with  kindly  words  would  they  turn  away 
wrath. 

Aleph  stood  for  a  while,  beating  his  breast  with 
remorse  ;  then,  throwing  himself  upon  Evoe's  neck, 
the  tears  gushed  for  the  first  time  down  the  young 
warrior's  cheek,  as  he  thought  of  the  many  wrongs 
he  had  done  the  Dwarf  and  his  gentle  sister.  And 
he  prayed  Evoe  that  she  would  take  the  senseless 
Anthy  from  the  field,  while  she  was  yet  uncon- 
scious of  her  brother's  fate,  and  so  spare  him  the 
bitter  rebuke  of  her  forgiveness,  until  he  knew  that 
the  kindly  spirit  he  had  destroyed  had  entered  his 
own  soul,  and,  by  doing  as  her  brother  would  have 
done,  had  shown  Anthy,  both  by  his  love  and  his 
acts,  that  her  brother  still  lived  in  himself. 


ACH  citizen,  at  Aleph's  bidding, 
returned  to  his  home ;  and  when 
news  was  brought  him  that  the  en- 
emy was  in  sight,  Aleph  bade  them 
>all  go  to  their  work,  as  though 
they  cared  not  for  the  coming. 
So,  when  the  armed  foes  poured  down  upon 
the  city,  they  found  the  ramparts  deserted  and  the 
gates  open.  And,  as  they  entered  in  hostile  array, 
their  trumpets  sounding  defiance,  and  their  swords 
ready  to  repel  the  citizens,  they  looked  round  for 
the  troops,  and  they  saw  the  husbandman  at  his 
plough,  and  the  shepherd  tending  his  flock  ;  and 
they  heard  the  blacksmith  busy  at  his  anvil,  and 
the  peasant-.girl  at  her  churn;  while  old  women 
sat  in  the  sunshine,  plying  the  spinning-wheel,  or 
with  their  children's  children  at  their  feet,  thread- 
ing the  needle  for  them. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS.  247 

And,  as  the  soldiers  paced  along1,  the  weaver 
stopped  his  loom,  and  peeped  from  his  window  for 
a  minute  at  the  show,  and  then  plied  the  shuttle 
as  before ;  the  laborer  rested  on  his  spade  for 
awhile,  and  then,  turning  from  the  sight,  dug  on 
again  ;  and  the  water-carrier  stopped  on  his  rounds, 
to  offer  to  the  tired  troops  a  draught  of  cool  drink 
from  the  skins  he  bore.  Mothers  brought  out  their 
babes  to  hear  the  music,  while  housewives  stood  at 
their  doors,  with  plates  of  fruit  and  sweetmeats 
wherewith  to  feast  the  wearied  enemies ;  girls  ran 
out  to  see  the  pretty  flags  and  glittering  armor,  and 
boys  marched  fearlessly  by  the  side  of  the  hostile 
troops  in  mimic  rank  and  file. 

As  the  amazed  enemy  tramped  along,  they  asked  of 
the  heedless  passers-by,  "  Where  are  your  soldiers  ?" 
"  We  have  none  ;"  was  the  answer. — "  But  we  have 
come  to  take  the  town !"  they  cried.  "Well,  friends, 
it  lies  before  you,  take  it,"  was  the  calm  reply. 

"  Is  there  no  one  to  defend  it  ?  No  one  to 
fight  ?"  inquired  the  leader. — "  No  one  !  we  live  in 
peace  here  with  all  men,"  returned  the  careless 
passengers,  and  moved  on. 

And  when  the  army  had  reached  the  palace, 
Aleph  himself  came  forth  to  meet  and  welcome 
them.  Again  they  cried,  "  We  come  to  take  your 
town  !  Is  there  nobody  that  thinks  it  worth  the 
fighting  for?"  But  still  the  answer  was,  "No! 
we  live  in  peace  here  with  all  men." 

Then  the  chieftains  were  perplexed  ;  and  they 


248  THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 

cried,  "  If  there  is  nobody  to  fight  with,  verily, 
there  can  be  no  fighting ;"  and  the  people  looked 
with  wonder  at  one  another,  for  they  remembered 
the  prophetic  words  of  the  Martyr-Dwarf. 

Then  Aleph,  seeing  the  abashed  army  about  to 
depart,  besought  them  that  they  would  enter  arid 
rest  their  tired  limbs,  and  break  bread,  ere  they 
went  their  way. 

So  the  armed  host,  finding  themselves  received 
as  friends,  refused  to  act  as  enemies,  and  they  re- 
mained for  awhile  as  the  welcome  guests  of  those 
whose  town  they  had  come  to  sack  and  pillage.* 

And,  when  the  invading  host  had  left,  Aleph 
swore  an  oath,  never  again  to  raise  his  hand  in  war 
or  anger  against  his  fellow-man,  now  that  he  had 
learnt  that  the  kiss  was  a  mightier  weapon  than 
the  blow. 

Then  he  sought  out  Anthy,  and,  throwing  him- 
self at  her  feet,  begged  of  her,  by  the  charity  of  the 
creed  that  Huan  had  taught  them  all — and  he, 
alas !  had  learned  too  late — to  forgive  and  love 
him — her  bitterest  enemy. 

And  he  wept  as  though  his  heart  would  break. 

Anthy  bade  him  rise,  saying,  "  She  forgave  him  as 
she  hoped  to  be  herself  forgiven — and  she  promised 
him,  moreover,  that  the  struggle  of  her  life  should 
be  to  love  him  too.  For  if  ever  she  could  force 
herself  to  look  with  affection  on  him  again,  then  she 

*  L.  M.  Child's  account  of  the  "  bomb-proof  town,"  in 
the  Tyrol. 


THE  MAGIC  OF  KINDNESS. 


249 


would  know,"  she  said,  "  how  truly  the  spirit  within 
her  had  triumphed  over  the  promptings  of  the  flesh." 
And  Aleph  besought  her  that  she  would  remain 
with  Evoe,  and  be  ever  near,  to  watch  over  him, 
so  that,  by  her  sweet  counseling,  she  might 
strengthen  him  in  the   kind- 
ly  creed,  and   teach   him, 
even  in  his  angry  mo- 
ments to  have  faith 
in  the  SPIRIT  OF 
KINDNESS. 


ABBOTT'S  HISTORIES 


IN    COURSE    OF    PUBLICATION 


***  Each  Volume  of  this  Series  is  printed  and  bound 
uniform  with  the  other  Volumes,  and  is  adorned  with  a 
richly-illuminated  title-page  and  numerous  Engravings. 
12mo,  Muslin,  plain  edges,  60  cents  per  volume  ;  Muslin, 
gilt  edges,  75  cents  per  volume. 


Blurt} 


of  Iroti 


This  history  is  given  here  minute  in  every  point  of  real  interest,  and 
without  the  encumbrance  of  useless  opinions.  There  is  no  sentence 
thrown  away—  no  time  lost  in  mere  ornament.  Perhaps  no  book  extant 
containing  so  few  pages,  can  be  said  to  convey  so  many  genuine  historical 
facts.  There  is  here  no  attempt  to  glaze  over  recorded  truth,  or  win  the 
reader  by  sophistry  to  opinions  merely  those  of  the  author.  The  pure, 
simple  history  of  Queen  Mary  is  placed  before  the  reader,  and  each  one 
is  left  to  form  an  unbiased  opinion  from  events  impartially  recorded  there. 
One  great  and  most  valuable  feature  in  this  little  work  is  a  map  of  Scot- 
land, with  many  engravings  of  the  royal  castles  and  wild  scenes  connect- 
ed with  Mary's  history.  There  is  also  a  beautiful  portrait  of  the  Queen, 
and  a  richly  illuminated  title-page  such  as  only  the  Harpers  can  get  up. 
—  National  Magazine. 


Full  of  instructive  and  heart-stirring  incident,  displayed  by  the  hand 
of  a  master.  We  doubt  whether  old  Queen  Bess  ever  before  had  so  much 
justice  done  to  her  within  the  same  compass.  Such  a  pen  as  Jacob  Ab- 
bott wields,  especially  in  this  department  of  our  literature,  has  no  right 
to  lie  Hill.— Albany  Express 


2  AbboWs  Historical  Series. 

CljarlE5  tlje  first 

We  incline  to  think  that  there  never  was  before  so  much  said  about 
this  unfortunate  monarch  in  so  short  a  space  ;  so  much  to  the  purpose  ; 
with  so  much  impartiality  ;  and  in  such  a  style  as  jusl  suits  those  for 
whom  it  is  designed— the  "  two  millions"  of  young  persons  in  the  United 
States,  who  ought  to  be  supplied  with  such  works  as  these.  The  en- 
gravings represent  the  prominent  persons  and  places  of  the  history,  and 
are  well  executed.  The  portrait  of  John  Hampden  is  charming.  The 
antique  title-page  is  rich. — Southern  Christian  Advocate, 


ilial  tfje  Carttjagimati 


A  new  volume  of  the  series  projected  by  the  skillful  book-manufactarer, 
Mr.  Abbott,  who  displays  no  little  tact  in  engaging  the  attention  of  that 
marvellous  body  "  the  reading  public"  in  old  scholastic  topics  hitherto 
almost  exclusively  the  property  of  the  learned.  The  latter,  with  their 
ingenious  implements  of  lexicons  and  scholia,  will  be  in  no  danger  of  be- 
ing superseded,  however,  while  the  least-furnished  reader  may  gain 
something  from  the  attractively-primed  and  easily-perused  volumes  of 
Mr.  Abbott.  The  story  of  Hannibal  is  well  adapted  for  popular  treatment, 
and  loses  nothing  for  this  purpose  in  the  present  explanatory  and  picto- 
rial version.—  Literary  World. 


uria  Mnittrfte. 


In  a  style  copious  and  yet  forcible,  with  an  expression  singularly  clear 
and  happy,  and  in  language  exceedingly  chaste  and  at  times  very  beau- 
tiful, he  has  given  us  a  plain,  unvarnished  narrative  of  facts,  as  he  him- 
self says,  unclogged  by  individual  reflections  which  would  "  only  encum- 
ber rather  than  enforce."  The  present  work  wants  none  of  the  interest 
inseparably  connecting  itself  with  the  preceding  numbers  of  the  same 
series,  but  is  characterized  throughout  by  the  same  peculiar  beauties, 
riveting  the  attention  and  deeply  engraving  on  the  mind  the  information 
with  which  they  every  where  teem.—  Evening  Mirror. 


Abbotts  Historical  Series.  3 

Stotikr  tlje  d^rat 

The  history  of  Alexander  the  Great,  as  penned  by  Jacob  Abbott,  will 
be  read  with  thrilling  interest.  It  is  profusely  embellished,  containing 
maps  of  the  Expedition  of  Alexander,  of  Macedon  and  Greece,  the  plain 
of  Troy,  the  Granicus,  and  the  plain  of  Issus  ;  and  engravings  of  Alex- 
ander and  Bucephalus;  Paris  and  Helen  ;  the  bathing  in  the  river  Cyn- 
dus  ;  the  siege  of  Tyre  ;  Alexander  at  the  siege  of  Susa  ;  and  the  pro- 
posed improvement  of  Mount  Athos.  It  is  written  in  a  most  graphic  and 
attractive  style.—  Spectator. 


tlje 


A  valuable  engraving  of  Lely's  portrait  of  Cromwell  opens  the  book, 
and  there  are  several  illustrative  wood  engravings  and  an  illuminated 
title-page.  This  is  a  comprehensive  and  simple  narration  of  the  main 
features  of  the  period  during  which  Charles  the  Second  reigned,  and  it 
is  done  with  the  clear  scope  and  finely-written  style  which  would  be  ex- 
pected from  the  pen  of  Jacob  Abbott—  one  of  the  most  able  and  useful 
literary  men,  as  he  is  one  of  the  very  best  teachers  of  his  time.—  Home 
Journal. 


fear. 


The  author  seems  gifted  with  that  peculiar  faculty,  possessed  by  so 
few,  of  holding  communion  with  and  drawing  out  ardent  imagination  and 
budding  genius,  and  at  the  same  time  of  directing  both  into  the  great 
channel  of  truth.  The  labors  of  such  a  man  are  productive  of  incalcu- 
lable good,  and  deserve  the  highest  reward.— New  Hampshire  Patriot. 

Hirjrnri  tjrt  jfirst 

Mr.  Abbott's  entertaining  and  instructive  historical  works  are  becom- 
ing more  and  more  popular,  and  are  undoubtedly  among  the  best  of  the 
many  condensed  histories  that  have  been  written.  For  young  people  we 
know  of  nothing  more  entertaining  or  better  calculated  to  excite  a  desire 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  leading  events  of  history.—  Buffalo  Cour. 


Abbott  's  Historical  Series. 


ifje  Cjitit 


We  know  of  no  writer  in  this  country  whose  style  and  ability  better 
fit  him  for  such  a  service.  They  are  admirable  works  for  youth,  and 
make  a  valuable  fund  of  reading  for  the  fireside  and  for  schools.  —  New 
York  Evangelist. 


flit 


History,  under  the  pen  of  Mr.  Abbott,  discloses  its  narratives  and  ut- 
ters its  lessons  in  a  style  of  great  simplicity  and  intelligence,  and,  above 
all,  with  no  danger  of  detriment  to  morals.  He  has  selected  his  field 
with  excellent  taste,  and  we  shall  be  glad  to  see  his  series  pursued  in- 
definitely. In  their  line,  these  volumes  have  never  been  surpassed.  — 
Baptist  Recorder. 


us,  Jting  nf 


Mr.  Abbott's  design  to  write  a  succession  of  histories  for  the  young  is 
admirable,  and  worthy  of  all  encouragement,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  has  executed  his  work  thus  far  is  most  excellent.  Let  him  be  en- 
couraged to  proceed  till  he  has  reached  the  last  volume  of  history,  that 
the  coming  generation  may  turn  from  the  world  of  romance  to  that  of 
reality,  and  learn  that  what  is  and  has  been  is  as  brilliant  in  character, 
as  glorious  in  description,  and  as  captivating  in  detail,  as  that  which  the 
genius  of  fiction  ever  created.  —  Observer. 


These  historical  memoirs  by  Mr.  Abbott  are  marked  by  their  great 
impartiality,  condensation  of  facts  and  picturesqueness  of  style  ;  his 
practiced  and  elegant  pen  has,  in  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  and  Charles  the 
First,  invested  the  historic  page  with  the  brilliancy  and  fascination  ol 
romance. — Mirror. 


Abbott's  Historical  Series.  5 

afrrn*  tjrt  tfwrt. 

"The  grand  excellence  of  these  little  volumes  is,  that  those  points  of 
history  which  involve  the  principles,  the  causes  of  human  action,  and 
which  too  often  receive  but  little  attention  from  those  who  write  for 
youth,  are  brought  forward  into  their  proper  station  and  so  successfully 
treated,  that  the  weakest  capacities  may  become  interested  and  stronger 
ones  profited.  The  maps  and  engravings,  of  which  there  are  many,  add 
much  to  their  value." 


KINGS  AND   QUEENS; 

OR,  LIFE  IN  THE  PALACE  :    CONSISTING    OF    HISTORICAL 

SKETCHES  OF  JOSEPHINE  AND  MARIA  LOUISA,  Louis 

PHILIPPE,  FERDINAND  OF  AUSTRIA,  NICHOLAS, 

ISABELLA  II..  LEOPOLD,  AND  VICTORIA. 

BY  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 

With  numerous  Illustrations.     12mo,  Muslin,  $1  00. 

These  sketches  of  the  most  distinguished  personages  of  Europe  are 
drawn  by  a  master  hand,  and  with  the  life-like  distinctness  which  char- 
acterizes all  the  works  of  the  popular  author.  The  work  is-full  of  ro- 
mantic interest,  while  at  the  same  time  its  perusal  will  enable  the  reader 
to  understand  the  present  state  of  Europe  and  of  the  crowned  heads  who 
form  an  essential  part  of  its  shifting  pageantry. — Ladies'  Wreath. 

Brief,  but  very  comprehensive  and  glowing  sketches  of  eminent  sov- 
ereigns are  comprised  in  this  beautiful  little  volume.  The  present  po- 
litical posture  of  some  of  these  characters,  and  the  wonderful  incidents 
connected  with  others,  give  this  work  almost  the  air  of  a  romance,  so 
eventful,  stirring,  and  unexpected  is  the  history  of  their  lives  and  for- 
tunes. The  views  of  Mr.  Abbott  are  those  of  a  thoughtful,  conscientious, 
well-read  man  ;  and  are  far  more  trustworthy,  to  those  who  desire  to 
know  the  real  truth  of  history,  than  the  representations  of  many  histo- 
rians who  pass  for  standard  authors.— Evangelist. 


's  Nero  Catalogue. 


A  NEW  DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE  OF  HARPER  &  BROTH- 
ERS' PUBLICATIONS,  embracing  the  most  recent  of  their 
issues,  is  now  ready  for  distribution,  and  may  be  obtained 
gratuitously  on  application  to  the  publishers  personally, 
or  by  letter,  post-paid. 

The  attention  of  gentlemen,  in  town  or  country,  de- 
signing to  form  Libraries  or  enrich  their  literary  collec- 
tions, is  respectfully  invited  to  this  Catalogue,  which  will 
be  found  to  comprise  a  large  proportion  of  the  standard 
and  most  esteemed  works  in  English  Literature  —  COM- 

PREHENDING  ABOUT    TWO    THOUSAND    VOLUMES  —  Which   &TC 

offered  in  most  instances  at  less  than  one  half  the  cost 
of  similar  productions  in  England. 

To  Librarians  and  others  connected  with  Colleges, 
Schools,  etc.,  who  may  not  have  access  to  a  reliable 
guide  in  forming  the  true  estimate  of  literary  produc- 
tions, it  is  believed  the  present  Catalogue  will  prove  es- 
pecially valuable  as  a  manual  of  reference. 

To  prevent  disappointment,  it  is  suggested  that,  when- 
ever books  can  not  be  obtained  through  any  bookseller  or 
local  agent,  applications  with  remittance  should  be  ad- 
dressed direct  to  the  Publishers,  which  will  be  promptly 
attended  to. 

82  Cliff  Street,  New  Yvrk. 


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